En Penitence (In Penitence) was originally produced by the great French academic artist William Adolphe Bouguereau in 1895. This is a high quality and incredibly accurate reproduction which has also been executed by an artist of great academic skill – Indeed, while the reproduction may not have been produced by a famous artist it has certainly been produced by an artist with an acute level of skill.

While Bouguereau is renowned for his academic skills he is also renowned for his ability to truly capture the essence of youth. Bouguereau studied many of the great classical artists such as Raphael and Rembrandt: And in many ways one could say that he did reflect the very spirit of youth as Rembrandt captured the soul of age.

In Penitence reflects the innocence of youth. Penitence is repentance, as in remorse and/or an apology. Note, this child is smiling and has a cookie in their hand. In this way the artist is perhaps indicating that it is the adults who should offer an apology to the children – compensation in the form of reward for the innocence they will be forced to leave behind in order to BE adults. William Bouguereau’s meticulous and yet sensitive art works are invariably sentimental: And In Penitence is a perfect and beautiful example of both qualities.