Who was Rosa Bonheur? Google doodles French artist on her 200th birth anniversary

The Google doodle depicts Rosa Bonheur painting a flock of sheep on canvas. 

Google on Wednesday memorialised the 200th birth anniversary of a French painter named Rosa Bonheur, whose successful career inspired a new generation of female artists. 

The Google doodle depicts Rosa Bonheur painting a flock of sheep on canvas. 

Rosa Bonheur was born on March 16, 1822 in Bordeaux, France. Her father facilitated her early artistic education, a minor landscape painter. Her aspirations for a career in the arts were unconventional for women of that time, but Bonheur followed the evolution of artistic traditions for years, meticulously studying and sketching them before immortalising them on canvas. 

In 1840, Bonheur's reputation as an animal painter and sculptor developed, with many of her work exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon from 1841 to 1853. Scholars believe her professional career began with an 1849 exhibition of 'Plowing in Nivernais,' a government commission that is now housed in France's Musee Nationale du Chateau de Fontainebleau.

Bonheur achieved international acclaim in 1853 with her painting 'The Horse Fair,' which depicted the Paris horse market. Her most well-known work is still on display at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

To honour this celebrated painting, the French Empress Eugenie awarded Rosa Bonheur -- The Legion of Honor-one of the nation's most prestigious awards, in 1865. 

Monarchs of the Forest, one of Rosa Bonheur's works, was auctioned off for more than $200,000 in 2008.