Rosa Bonheur e a representação da relação homem-animal: um estudo histórico do período de 1849 a 1895

Abstract

This study analyzes the representation of human–animal relations in the work of the French painter and sculptor Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899), examining how her artistic production reflects and questions the ethical, social, and cultural conceptions surrounding the treatment of animals in the nineteenth century. The research is based on the analysis of six paintings: Labourage nivernais (1849), Le Marché aux chevaux (1852–1855), Repos (1846), Un Arabe et un Cheval Mort (1852), Le Berger des Highlands (1859), and La Foulaison du Blé en Camargue (1864–1899), which reveal the complex relationship between humans and non-human beings in diverse contexts. The investigation adopts an interdisciplinary approach, articulating art history, moral philosophy, animal ethics, and psychoanalysis to understand the place of the artist in a time of profound scientific, social, and symbolic transformations. More than depicting nature, Bonheur created a profound reflection on the suffering, labor, and dignity of living beings. The study demonstrates that her work constitutes a turning point in the history of representation. She created works that unite technique, emotion, and thought to provoke a debate about the boundaries of human–animal relations. By recognizing in animals a sensitive interiority, Rosa Bonheur transformed painting into an ethical and political gesture, revealing a worldview in which art also becomes an exercise in coexistence and respect for life.