Google’s latest logo tribute is to a French artist born 200 years ago Wednesday.
The tech giant’s new doodle available to view on Google.com honors Rosa Bonheur, best known for her work as an animal painter and sculptor.
Google’s tribute features an illustration of Bonheur painting a group of sheep. In the background are clouds taking the shape of the letters in Google.
Bonheur was born on March 16, 1822 in Bordeaux, France, according to a biography published by Google.
Bonheur grew in influence during the 1840s, when her work was exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon. Experts believe her 1849 exhibition “Plowing in Nivernais” helped establish her as a professional artist.
Google describes Bonheur as an inspirational figure whose “successful career inspired a future generation of women in the arts.”
Who Was Rosa Bonheur?
Her father was a minor landscape painter who supposedly facilitated Bonheur’s artistic education. She started to enjoy success in the 1840s and ’50s when her paintings and sculptures of animals were displayed at the prestigious Paris Salon.
During her life, Bonheur was openly lesbian and lived with her partner Nathalie Micas for over 40 years until her death.
In 1895 at the age of 73, Bonheur began a relationship with American painter Anna Elizabeth Klumpke who was 34 years her junior. Klumpke also painted a portrait of Bonheur in 1898, a year before Bonheur’s death. Klumpke later wrote Bonheur’s diary in 1908 but it wasn’t translated into English until 1998.
What is Rosa Bonheur known for?
Four years later, she released the piece “The Horse Fair,” capturing the horse market in Paris. It would become her most popular work of art, remaining on exhibit at the New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In 1865, Bonheur was awarded the Legion of Honor, one of France’s most prestigious awards.
Bonheur died on May 25, 1899, at the age of 77, in Thomery, northern France. She was buried next to her lifelong companion Nathalie Micas who had died ten years earlier.
