The Horses of Rosa Bonheur

Rosa Bonheur was a French painter during the mid to late 19th century and she was widely known for her animal paintings. Her father was an artist and she began to study with him at an early age.

An Artistic Life

Most of her life was spent painting her animal subjects and exhibiting her work. There were very few females among her contemporaries, but Bonheur had no trouble making a name for herself. In fact, she was a flamboyant liberal who wore her hair short, smoked cigars and dressed in mens clothing. Although horses aren’t her sole subject, she captures them with a clearly equestrian perspective.

A lifelong animal lover, Rosa always kept pets, ranging from horses to lions to otters.

Horse Fair

Horse Fair

Relay Hunting

Relay Hunting

Voltaire

Voltaire

Lion

Lion

Calves

Calves

Just Because

The last two aren’t horses, but I thought they were beautiful and worth sharing. It’s fun to feature a fearless female artist of her time period.

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