Berthe Morisot's 'Hunting Butterflies': Challenging Academic Norms in Paris
A look at Berthe Morisot's 'Hunting Butterflies' at Musée d'Orsay, Paris, challenging academic norms with loose brushwork and asserting female subjectivity.
00:00:00 A look at Berthe Morisot's "Hunting Butterflies" at Musée d'Orsay, Paris. She depicted her restricted world and challenged academic painting norms with loose brushwork.
🎨 Berthe Morisot's 'Hunting Butterflies' depicts her world as a woman in the impressionist circle, with loose brushwork and domestic subjects.
🏰 Morisot, like Degas, faced restrictions due to her gender, resulting in paintings that portray the world she inhabited, including a young woman with children.
🖌️ Made in 1874, the same year as the first impressionist exhibition, 'Hunting Butterflies' was seen as radical, defying the traditional rules of academic painting.
00:01:06 A painting of a Parisian family enjoying a leisurely day in a park. The central figure holds a butterfly net while the children play nearby. The artwork lacks a realistic sense of space.
🌳 The painting depicts a well-to-do Parisian family enjoying a day in the park.
🎨 The brushwork in the painting is sketchy and loose, but the central figure stands out with forthrightness.
🌸 The artist plays with the illusion of space by using consistent tonality and highlighting the paint as part of the artwork.
00:02:04 An artist experiments with paint to create a conflict between space and flatness in a canvas. A woman artist asserts her subjectivity and independence.
The artist, Berthe Morisot, experiments with paint to create depth and flatness simultaneously.
Morisot's artwork reflects her independence and subjectivity as a woman artist.
The painting captures the young woman's control of space and her refusal to conform to societal expectations.
00:03:04 A video showcasing Berthe Morisot's famous painting 'Hunting Butterflies' on a summer day in Paris.
🦋 Berthe Morisot's painting 'Hunting Butterflies' captures the essence of a summer day in Paris.
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