Pierre Puvis de Chavannes was a major influence on a whole range of artists, including Auguste Rodin, Georges de Feure and Ludwig von Hofmann. He co-founded and headed up the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Chavannes’ representation of Hope as a delicate, serene adolescent girl was not well-regarded by critics of the time—some critics suggested that Hope should be represented by a strong and vigorous adult woman. But the painting became one of his most cherished works in short order despite the critics.
There is also a clothed version of ‘Hope’ (original French title ‘L’espérance’); both nude and clothed versions can be seen on Celestial Venus and on Wikimedia Commons (here and here); the various image files have different colours and contrast (Editor, 2017/02/22)
Wikipedia: Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (more information in French Wikipedia)