Kobieta i jej motyle. Maria Sibylla Merian

17th century Germany. Maria Sibylla is growing up within a family of printers while developing a fascination with insects. She begins learning to draw and paint under her stepfather and brother’s guidance with the intention of researching flora and the insects that live in harmony with it. However, she finds herself challenged at every step: as a woman she is not accepted as a scientist, and her scientific illustration can only find publishers under male pseudonyms. Maria’s life transforms in the rhythm of her favorite silkworm: from a chrysalis, a cocoon, until her final adult form. She must fight the societal norms of the time: the push for marriage, motherhood, difficult personal relationships, financial issues of an independent woman and the search for support of her projects and dreams.

„A Woman and Her Butterflies” is a debut of Ola Bylica, the Grand Prix winner of the Contest for comic book project of the 37th International Festival of Comics and Games in Łódź, Poland. Despite that, the author commands attention with the maturity of both her artistic style: subtle, European, with delicate colouring and sophisticated compositions inspired by Maria’s exploration of the structure of flowers and insects, as well as of the story she tells – from the historical point of view (Maria Sibylla Merian is a historic figure) and the way she carefully depicts societal norms of the time. Merian’s biography showcases the fate of the many talented women who were born in unfavorable times – and allows us to reclaim them as part of the culture, science, and many changes leading to the formation of modern society.