17th -20th century · observation, symbol and metamorphosis

Grasshopper hidden in a still life, beetle near hummingbirds, garden butterflies or visions of Redon: the insect goes from scholarly detail to poetic subject.

In European painting, insects are never simple decorative accessories. Balthasar van der Ast places them among flowers, shells and glassware: butterflies and grasshoppers enrich the world's inventory while recalling its fragility. Martin Johnson Heade brings orchids, hummingbirds and beetles together in a lush ecosystem where naturalistic observation meets tropical imagination. At Vincent van Gogh, the garden and butterflies belong to the very movement of grass and touch; the pattern suggests transformation and vitality without becoming a scientific illustration. Odilon Redon finally frees the butterflies from any stable place: floating color and indeterminate background make them mental apparitions. From entomology to metamorphosis, the tiny scale forces the painting to sharpen the eye. The "Paintings of butterflies and insects" selection notably compares Flowers in a glass cup, shells, butterflies and grasshopper and Cattleya Orchid, two hummingbirds and a beetle. His reading favors figures.

Painting an insect is like giving monumental importance to what could disappear in the blink of an eye.