HOLLIE: Welcome to the Sound of Science. You’re listening to part three of our three-part series celebrating Women’s History Month. Over the past few weeks, we’ve featured the voices of women working in STEM right here at Northern Illinois University. For our final episode we reached out to Becky Griffith. Becky is a STEAM educator with a background in fine arts and a passion for teaching video game design. We asked Becky who we should be celebrating this March and her answer brought to light an artist who is sure to leave an impression.
BECKY: An inspiring woman in STEAM to me is Berthe Morisot. She was a 19th century, French, Impressionist painter. Impressionism is a style of painting that developed alongside the birth of photography. Impressionist artists were influenced by the changing of light, color, and movement, rather than painting an exact image of what was in front of them. They would often paint outside, also known as Plein air painting, nightlife, and people. Photography plays an important role in the history of Impressionism. With photography being the new technology of the time, these painters found new ways to portray how light could define movement through their delicate and colorful brushstrokes. Berthe Morisot's notable contribution to this movement is evident through her hundreds of paintings. She was seen as an equal to her male counterparts, participating in many of the Impressionist Exhibitions alongside them. Her paintings show a different side of the era. Berthe Morisot painted women in domestic scenes and landscapes, often showing daily and family life. She created an archive of 19th-century women from a female perspective. Her legacy paved the way for future women creatives, by exhibiting to women how to know and show their worth.
HOLLIE: This was The Sound of Science on WNIJ, where you learn something new every day.
