"Plowing the Nivernais"

“Plowing the Nivernais” is a painting done by Rosa Bonheur in 1849. This painting looks so real it could be mistaken as a photograph. The group of oxen in the front is larger than the group in the back, giving the painting perspective, with the large foreground of dirt and small background of trees and hill. The way Bonheur painted the oxen’s fur, muscles, and facial features give it a very real and natural look. The shadows give a sense of where the sun is. The many years of studying and painting animals and nature also helped Bonheur to paint this piece with so much feeling and reality (Gokbudak). The fact that this painting looks so real shows the values of painters during this time.
Rosa Bonheur was a painter of the 19th century, after the Enlightenment period so many people of her time valued science and realism greatly. She painted the “Plowing in Nivernais” with years of studying animal and natural setting paintings along with science. Her father was part of a “utopian socialist Saint-movement” (Gokbudak). This movement supported equality for men and women, and a love-based society. Realist animal painting became popular in 1848 in France, where Rosa Bonheur was from. Bonheur was commissioned by the French government to paint this piece which was inspired by nature and the lives of peasants, a result from the French Revolution (Gokbudak).
“Plowing in Nivernais” relates to my theme of human perfection. As a result of the Enlightenment, people searched and fought for perfection. A period of realism paintings emerged from this. Many painters during this time studied and worked very hard to achieve what was thought to be perfect art. Their idea of perfect was something that looked real, like a photograph or even reality itself. They wanted to capture the perfection they had thought to achieve after the revolutions and create something that was absolutely perfect.