Curriculum Materials: Amazing Animals in
Art
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Maria Sibylla Merian Essays: Questions: |
Style
While scientific investigation was the impetus to Merian's work, artistic concerns were also important to her. Merian portrays her subject NATURALISTICALLY, depicting what she observes with meticulous attention to detail. The fine lines produced by the engraving and etching processes render the exquisite detail of her subject, as seen in the delicate patterns of the moths' wings, the skin of the caterpillar, and the shimmering surface of the cocoon. Since Merian wants to convey specific information about the structure of nature, she arranges the insects and plants in various ways to display their forms, creating an elegant formal COMPOSITION. The artist uses curving, repetitive lines in the leaves, the moths' wings, and the cocoon, achieving a surface rhythm and pattern and giving her forms a sense of life and vitality.
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