Man has always been fascinated by the transformation that the butterfly undergoes. In the transition from caterpillar to chrysalis, he wanted to see the image of spiritual transformation. The Greek term psyche designates the soul, but it also means butterfly. For this reason, the young Psyche narrated by Apuleius is often depicted with butterfly wings.
In the Christian imaginary, this insect is an emblem of resurrection and salvation precisely by virtue of its path. In fact, in the hands of Infant Jesus and the Madonna alludes to the risen soul.
The butterfly is often depicted in the Nordic Baroque still lifes. Among wonderful compositions of flowers or among the tables set, the butterfly symbolizes the struggle between good and evil. Salvation and resurrection contrast to sin, often symbolized by dragonflies or flies. Next to these insects, an hourglass is often depicted, which marks the passage of time and inexorably overwhelms material things. Sometimes a skull appears in still lifes, a call to vanity and the fall of human life.
There are numerous representations that represent the butterfly in the history of artistic iconography. A famous work is Jupiter butterfly painter, performed by Dosso Dossi between 1523 and 1524.
The figure is accompanied by Mercury and another figure that comes almost sudden. The divinity turns a complex twisting, bringing the finger to the mouth to invoke silence. Jupiter, portrayed with a bright red robe, almost seems to not realize what happens behind him.
Its title also raises several questions: ′′ Jupiter paints butterflies, Mercury and Virtue ". It is an oil on canvas, today preserved in Wawel Castle in Krakow.
Jupiter, recognizable by the lightning placed at his feet, is depicted as a painter intent on creating his own work. On canvas, he sketched three butterflies on a blue bottom. These animals symbolize the volatility of thought, while the rainbow popping up behind the easel means the evanescence of ideas. The figure wears a bright red dress that recalls that of the figure placed behind him. It's Mercury, which makes a complex twist to get rid of a third figure that suddenly appeared. But the painter God, focused on the act of creation, doesn't seem to realize what's happening around him. Mercury is accompanied by its attributes: the beautiful winged helmet, the caduceus and the shoes. The caduceus, in particular, represents its power to sleep and redesign the living. The young woman who breaks into the scene, with a contracted and worried gaze, almost seems to want to communicate news.
The image of the butterfly is also present in a work painted by Pisanello: the Portrait of Princess preserved in the Louvre and dated 1435-40.
The identity of the girl is unknown but the most accredited hypothesis is that it is Geneva d ' Este, bride of Sigismondo Malatesta and murdered at a young age by the same husband, in love with Isotta of Acts. The insect is once again a symbol of resurrection. The portrait was probably commissioned posthumously by Niccolò or Lionello d ' Este to commemorate the untimely death of the joint.
Dr. Dr. Massimo Ruggero
Club President for UNESCO of Genoa
President of International Action Art-Italy
Ambassador for WHERE-Where I live abroad in Italy for Art, Culture and Science
MIRE World Coordinator for Liguria
Massimo Ruggero
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου