Ragan, Erica2022-04-272022-04-272022-04Ragan, Erica. "Ruralism and Escapism in the Work of Rosa Bonheur." Q: Journal of Undergraduate Research & Inquiry, 2022. https://doi.org/10.48497/28SS-M681http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11868/3075Recommended citation: Ragan, Erica. "Ruralism and Escapism in the Work of Rosa Bonheur." Q: Journal of Undergraduate Research & Inquiry, 2022. https://doi.org/10.48497/28SS-M681Rosa Bonheur is known for her work as the most famous animal painter of the nineteenth century, and as one of the most successful working women artists of her generation. She is also, separately, studied for her complex relationship to nineteenth century French gender norms and sexual mores. This work will briefly discuss Bonheur’s biography and personal life alongside three of her most famous works in order to analyze and interpret the ways in which her life experiences shaped her paintings. It argues that the repressive nature of Bonheur’s society inspired her to create scenes that center freedom and expansiveness, in order to represent her escape from social pressures. This essay was written in Dr. Rosemarie Trentinella’s ART 425 class.en-USRuralismEscapismRosa BonhuerThe Horse FairPlowing in NivernaisShepherd of the PyreneesArticlehttps://doi.org/10.48497/28SS-M681