[Python] Hollowing out a patch / "anticlipping" a patch in Matplotlib (Python)

I want to draw a patch in Matplotlib constructed by hollowing it out with another patch, in a way such that the hollowed out part is completely transparent.

For example, lets say I wanted to draw an ellipse hollowed out by another. I could do the following:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from matplotlib.patches import Ellipse

ellipse_1 = Ellipse((0,0), 4, 3, color='blue')
ellipse_2 = Ellipse((0.5,0.25), 2, 1, angle=30, color='white')

ax = plt.axes()
ax.add_artist(ellipse_1)
ax.add_artist(ellipse_2)

plt.axis('equal')
plt.axis((-3,3,-3,3))
plt.show()




However, if now I wanted to draw something behind, the part behind the hollowed out part would not be visible, for example:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from matplotlib.patches import Ellipse, Rectangle

ellipse_1 = Ellipse((0,0), 4, 3, color='blue')
ellipse_2 = Ellipse((0.5,0.25), 2, 1, angle=30, color='white')
rectangle = Rectangle((-2.5,-2), 5, 2, color='red')

ax = plt.axes()
ax.add_artist(rectangle)
ax.add_artist(ellipse_1)
ax.add_artist(ellipse_2)

plt.axis('equal')
plt.axis((-3,3,-3,3))
plt.show()




where the part of the red rectangle inside the blue shape cannot be seen. Is there an easy way to do this?

Another way to solve this would be with a function to do the opposite of set_clip_path, lets say set_anticlip_path, where the line

ellipse_1.set_anticlip_path(ellipse_2)


would do the trick, but I have not been able to find anything like this.

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