Student Spotlight: Cara Brown '27
2025 Mary Ellen Hale Lovett Travel Fellow
The Lovett Travel Fellowship, through the generous support of Mr. H. Malcolm Lovett, provides students with the unique opportunity to enhance their educational experience at Rice by traveling to significant sites to conduct field research in art history and architectural history.
Art history and chemistry sophomore Cara Brown will be using the Lovett Travel Fellowship to journey to France over the summer to investigate the relationship between art, society, and intellectual movements in Paris with an emphasis on the transition from Neoclaccism to Modernism.
Hear more from Cara’s research proposal and plans:
“In France, I hope to explore the multifaceted development of French art through firsthand engagement with iconic artworks and key cultural sites. I aim to explore how Paris has shaped the development of modern art, focusing on how its intellectual and cultural evolution is reflected in the works of its most renowned artists. Specifically, I will investigate the relationship between art, society, and intellectual movements in Paris, with a particular emphasis on the turn of the 20th century.
A few of the primary questions guiding my research are: How do modern Parisian artworks, such as Cézanne’s “Nature morte aux oignons” and Lautrec’s “Moulin Rouge: La Goulue,” depict the intersection of daily life and societal change in the city? How did the intellectual and cultural climate of Paris in the late 19th and early 20th centuries influence the development of modern art?
To address these questions, I will visit several critical sites in Paris and surrounding areas. Monet’s “Water Lilies,” on display at the Musée de l'Orangerie, will allow me to visualize how nature and landscape shaped the Impressionist movement, while a trip to the Musée Rodin, home to “The Thinker,” will provide an opportunity to study how Paris has long been a hub for intellectual and philosophical movements, influencing both art and broader cultural trends. Beyond the museums, I will visit Giverny, where Monet lived and painted, as well as the gardens at Versailles, which have long influenced French artists. These on-site visits will help me better understand how natural landscapes influenced major works in French art.”