The Horse Fair, Rosa Bonheur and Nathalie Micas,  Painted 1852-53



       This painting, although finished and signed by Bonheur, was begun by the artist's life-long friend, Nathalie Micas. The scene exhibited is the horse market in Paris where dealers would show off their stock to potential buyers. The dome of La Salpêtrière is visible in the background. In the painting, the horses run around energetically in a circle, showing off their value to potential customers (watching in the back). Bonheur exhibits her love of animals by conveying their power and majesty, while their handlers have to concentrate fully on keeping them under control. The viewer’s attention is drawn to the horses by the simple surroundings, and also by the fact that no barriers exist between the viewer and the animals. The foreground is open, allowing easy access to the scene.

      

       Rosa Bonheur was the most famous woman artist of the first three quarters of the nineteenth century. Although many women at this time were amateur artists, it was very unusual for a woman to pursue painting as a serious career. Also unusual was her family’s support in that endeavor. From age ten on, Bonheur spent hours sketching animals in parks on the outskirts of Paris; by age seventeen, she was contributing to her family's income by making copies of paintings in the Louvre. Born in Bordeaux, Bonheur received her training from her father, (a minor landscape painter) since women were not allowed to be taught in the official schools of art. In 1829, she moved with her family to Paris. Although her ambitions were uncoventional for the time, Bonheur was traditional in her working method. She studied her subjects carefully and produced many preparatory sketches before she applied paint to canvas. Bonheur's reputation grew steadily in the 1840s; she regularly exhibited her animal paintings and sculptures at the Paris Salon, from 1841 to 1853.