Rosa Bonheur

Rosa Bonheur was a pretty radical figure for the 1800s. My favorite fact about her was that she wore overalls and needed a permit to do so. She also, as a woman, smoked in public which was very taboo. Her father was an artist and a teacher and urge his children to be reared as free-thinkers. He gave all four of his children art lessons and they are ended up becoming artists.

She attributes her love of animals to her parents assigning an animal to each letter of the alphabet when she was uninspired to learn and somewhat unruly as a child. She was a very successful artist and her paintings sold well.

Her realistic portrayal of animals in her paintings is quite impressive. There is a serene, idyllic quality in her paintings that makes them really enjoyable to look at.