Looking Fly - Esther

 No animals were harmed in the making of this blog entry. Not even “sustainably.”

Insects, bugs, minibeasts, creepy crawlies, beasties – it doesn’t matter what you call them, they’re everywhere. You might have a bee in your bonnet, ants in your pants, a flea in your ear or butterflies in your stomach. In this part of the world, these (usually) tiny creatures are starting to make a more prolific appearance, after the hibernatory cold of winter. Generally they provoke reactions in humans, even if it’s simply to flap them away. As always, whether they bug you or whether you think they’re the bee’s knees, the World of Art reflects their existence & our feelings about them.

Insects in art go way back. The first known portrayal is of a cricket from 20,000 years ago. We’ve all heard of the importance of the scarab beetle in Egyptian religion but they depicted examples of other insects such as bees, dung beetles & grasshoppers. Of course there are the biblical fly & locust infestations during the ten plagues of Egypt debacle, as Moses attempted to free his people with the Almighty’s help. Similarly, bee goddesses appear in Ancient Greek art. In ancient times & mythologies, various insects were believed to have numerous superstitious attributes & these ideas hung around in art for centuries. Different cultures have their own take on the insect to varying degrees.

Master of Saint Giles, Virgin and Child with a Dragonfly, 1500

Throughout art history there has been religion. & with religion come stories. This peculiar work shows baby Jesus holding a fibre which has wrapped round a dragonfly. In the Middle Ages a dragonfly represented Satan & this would have been a familiar symbol to viewers.  Thus, Jesus has ensnared Satan – hooray!

Balthasar van der Ast, Flowers in a Vase with Shells and Insects, c. 1628

When I first thought of insects in art, my mind instantly went to Dutch Golden Age paintings such as van der Ast’s. Nestled within the most beautifully observed & rendered still life works are various insects, lizards & shells. Flowers were also chosen for their symbolic value. Butterflies denoted change & even the resurrection.   

Wenceslaus Hollar, Two Moths & Six Insects, 1646  

The almost unbelievably-named Bohemian artist Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) was a well-regarded graphic artist of his – as you can imagine, eventful - day. His engravings & etchings covered a wide range of subjects for various purposes, including natural history illustration. Interesting to note that this beautiful example is of moths AND insects…

Jan van Kessel the Elder, A Dragon-fly, Two Moths, a Spider and Some Beetles, With Wild Strawberries, 17th Century

Another very literally named artwork by van Kessel, this painting (including a spider, I apologise) is one of many showing the beauty & colour hidden in the insect world. They are highly detailed, precise pieces & he hoped through his close observations to bring a visually appealing & religious aspect to his subject. 

Salvador Dalí, Soft Self-Portrait With Fried Bacon, 1941

There is no doubt that some beasties are seen as more “acceptable” than others, even if we set aside religious symbolism. Tiffany & other applied arts artists have seen the dragonfly as beautiful & jewel-like where, as we have seen, the people of the 16th Century did not. Bees, ladybirds, butterflies are more regarded more favourably these days. Ants, wasps & flies can still be seen as problematic. Dalí used ants prolifically in his paintings to represent death & decay, frequently coupled with sexual frustration & desire. In the ant he sees disintegration, demise & transience manifested. 

Mandu Mmatambwe Adeusi, Untitled, after 1968

Like it or not, insects are often used as food. As part of various food chains & as depicted in Adeusi’s untitled work, they are also eaten by PEOPLE. For some – me, for instance - it’s difficult to think of a more revolting protein source. This traditionally square painting by Tingatinga School artist Adeusi is perhaps as clear a “circle of life” example in art as can be found.

Esther Green, Hearts Under the Microscope, 2012 (?)

A small mention here of my own fascination for the insects that crawl into my own artwork & where insects are the main feature. For me, they look good & the history of symbolism & mythology behind them is irresistible. I love their details, the fact they’re made up of various parts to an almost mechanical degree & their suspiciously, their eyes do not appear to look at anything.

Kelly Stanford, STEM Bee, 2018

The bee has come to symbolise many scientific ideas & functions as a representation of industry & forward-thinking innovation. At 6’ high & signed by local scientists, Stanford’s bee was in part an interactive project, teaching about & promoting the scientific legacy of Manchester. It sold at auction for 22,000 GBP for charities in the Manchester area.

I’m not going to promote them here, but many artists & their fans are fine with the use of real, “sustainably-sourced” specimens in their art, believing there is an educational aspect to the work. They believe the works show the beauty in insects or use them to promote positive political or environmental ideas. I do not agree with these views on any level.  Photography can do the same job & does it better. Perhaps there is an education to be derived from using real animals or their parts in art (other than academic drawings), but learners will also be sent the perhaps inadvertent message that it’s okay to use animals in this way. Who really knows what lengths they will go to in order to acquire their materials? 

With more awareness of how insects help contribute to balanced ecosystems & thus help human survival, it’s my belief that we should be moving away from the use of animals as a “medium,” no matter how “cruelty-free.” There is the persistent joke about the life on earth remaining after the apocalypse being insects & Keith Richards but as we have seen in recent times, our modern habits are drastically chipping away at the survival of the beasties. The way things are going, Keith might be winning.

Rosalind Monks