Art and nature shall always be wrestling until they conquer one another so that the victory is the same stroke and line. — Maria (image credit) In 1699, Maria Sibylla Merian was a 28-year-old divorcee, traveling by ship to uncharted Suriname. Maria was already an accomplished scientific illustrator, and the Dutch governor had paid her to document the fledgling colony's botanical landscape in her signature detailed engravings. Maria's "Metamorphosis" pieces are the first scientific (and artistic!) visual record of insect life cycle — from pale chrysalis to full-winged butterfly and moth.
A Woman to Know: Maria Sybilla Merian
A Woman to Know: Maria Sybilla Merian
A Woman to Know: Maria Sybilla Merian
Art and nature shall always be wrestling until they conquer one another so that the victory is the same stroke and line. — Maria (image credit) In 1699, Maria Sibylla Merian was a 28-year-old divorcee, traveling by ship to uncharted Suriname. Maria was already an accomplished scientific illustrator, and the Dutch governor had paid her to document the fledgling colony's botanical landscape in her signature detailed engravings. Maria's "Metamorphosis" pieces are the first scientific (and artistic!) visual record of insect life cycle — from pale chrysalis to full-winged butterfly and moth.