Le Travail interrompu (English: Work Interrupted) is a painting painted by nineteenth century French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau in 1891. The painting is currently held in the Mead Art Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts.[1]
In this loving depiction of life in ancient Greece, a playful Cupid anoints a young woman's ear with perfume, distracting her with thoughts of love as her mind wanders from her wearisome task of winding balls of wool. Bouguereau's strict adherence to the academic art style réalistique et classique gained him widespread acclaim in France and the United States at the same time that the Impressionist painters were struggling to create a different approach. The luminous color and delicate, almost invisible brush strokes are hallmarks of this work.