The Butterfly Hunt 1874

Berthe Morisot created "The Butterfly Hunt" with oil on canvas. Here, the material reality of Morisot's painting directly influences its appearance, in the loose brushwork, thin layers of paint, and how she captures light and form. The strokes are clearly visible, and the forms of the figures are only softly modeled. This kind of painting required the development of new materials, like paint in tubes, that could be easily used "en plein air," or outdoors. This painting encapsulates the aesthetic values and realities of Parisian life at the time. It speaks to a context when leisure became increasingly important in modern life, but was still very much dictated by social class. Looking at Morisot's painting this way helps us appreciate how materials, making, and social context are intertwined, blurring the lines between fine art and everyday life.