An Inspiring woman: Maria Sibyalla Merian (art & insects inside)

Hello Lovelies!

 The art of Maria Sibyalla Merian: Masterful insect drawing in the late 17th century, beginning of the 18th century. image via Jane's blog.

I have a board on pinterest called "Inspiring Women" - the inspiration for it obviously comes from Jane Flanagan's series of posts that are all about discovering the lives and deeds of incredibly "Inspiring Women" on her wonderful blog (a must daily read).

 Cover of the book "Amazing Rare Things". Art by Maria Sibylla Merian



On her blog, Jane has criticized our collective (mis)use of pinterest, and I fully understand her position. I try my best to not "hoard", as Jane puts it, that is I try not to mindlessly collecting beautiful images all day long while neglecting my own life.

That said, I find pinterest practical for the time being, as a virtual bookmark of sorts, especially now that we can have secret boards. I personally avoid pictures of hairdos, beauty products that are not organic, weddings, babies and tattoos on my pinterest boards.

 Maria Sibylla Merian, Passion flower plant and flat-legged bug, c. 1701-5 image via a great article on insects in art.

Some other boards I created aim to share the work of artists I admire, my own artwork, as well as other interests I think are valuable enough to share. That is why I mention the masterful art of the insect illustration by Maria Sibyalla Merian here today.

Maria Sibyalla Merian was a woman, an accomplished artist, an "insect lover" or rather a naturalist with a pioneering spirit, all wrapped in one. Her accomplishments as a woman living in the late 17th centurey are beyond amazing. Read more about her here.

So here am I adding today a "pinnable" image of one of her plant/insect illustration, so that anyone not aware of Jane's blog can see it on pinterest and get to know Maria Sibyalla Merian and many, many other inspiring women.



Enjoy!

-Naomi of TeaButterfly.