The Protofeminist Insects of Giovanna Garzoni and Maria Sibylla Merian

The Protofeminist Insects of Giovanna Garzoni and Maria Sibylla Merian

Giovanna Garzoni and Maria Sibylla Merian lived two unusual lives for female artists at the time. Both of them left their husbands and both are renowned for their work in still lifes. Yet this article argues that their most powerful connector is how they portray insects within their pieces. At the time, entomology was making massive discoveries and many of these tore down the previous patriarchal views that were had about the animal kingdom. Garzoni and Merian presented insects as more than just species to study, but rather active and dynamic creatures that had life. Furthermore, Steinkraus argues that they both acknowledge the matriarchal hierarchies discovered within insects like bee hives, presenting these insects as powerful and perhaps pushing forth an ideology of feminism from their portrayal of bugs.

Emma Steinkraus

Steinkraus, Emma. “The Protofeminist Insects of Giovanna Garzoni and Maria Sibylla Merian.” Art Herstory, August 9, 2019. https://artherstory.net/protofeminist-insects-in-art/.

Art Herstory

August 9, 2019

Jacob Carnes

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