Google honours French artist Rosa Bonheur with a Doodle on her 200th birth anniversary

Google celebrates the 200th birth anniversary of French artist Rosa Bonheur with a beautiful animated Doodle today, 16th March. Bonheur was a French ‘animal painter’ from the 19th century and inspired a generation of women in the arts. The Doodle features Rosa Bonheur sitting in a lush green meadow while painting a flock of sheep on a canvas. Bonheur was born on this day in 1822 in Bordeaux, France and was trained by her father, who was also a painter. While Bonheur’s father was a minor landscape painter, he encouraged his daughter’s artistic education and talent. Living during times when a career in the arts was not appreciated for women, Bonheur defied norms to follow her passion and closely studied artistic traditions. For years, she carefully followed and prepared sketches before she actually began painting them on a canvas. Bonheur’s first exhibition at the Paris Salon was held when she was 19 years old. The artist used to visit slaughterhouses to understand animals and immortalise them on her canvas, as per Money Control. Bonheur then shot to fame in 1840s, when her works were exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon from 1841 to 1853. She became a well-known animal painter and sculptor and scholars believe that her 1849 exhibition of “Plowing in Nivernais” played a pivotal role in establishing her as a professional artist. The nature lover’s painting “The Horse Fair”, made in 1853, went on to garner international acclaim. The piece of art represented a horse market in Paris and was displayed at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bonheur became one of the most famous female painters of the 19th century and was awarded the Legion of Honor, one of the France’s most prestigious awards, in 1856 by the French Empress. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.