The butterfly 1890 - 1900

Curator: At first glance, I'm struck by the stillness of it. There's a distinct languor. Editor: This is "The Butterfly" by Arthur Bowen Davies, created sometime between 1890 and 1900. It’s an oil painting, fairly modest in size, exploring themes of figuration and intimacy through a symbolic lens. Curator: The anonymity of the figure adds to that mood. Her face is turned away, lost in shadow. The gesture of the arm feels almost like a surrender. Is she resting or in retreat, back toward what seems like the recesses of a dark cave? Editor: Interesting observation. I see a lot of late 19th century academic training in the anatomical rendering here. The pose and subject definitely place it within a visual discourse on eroticism that dominated much of Western art. There’s a negotiation, even a tension, between idealised beauty and the objectification inherent in the male gaze. Curator: The title, "The Butterfly," offers a symbolic dimension. Butterflies often signify transformation, rebirth, or the soul. Perhaps the figure is undergoing some internal metamorphosis, sheltering within this darkened space as part of that process. And her nudity lends itself to that concept as well – a vulnerability necessary to growth and change. Editor: I would read the 'butterfly' here as more connected to existing conventions where feminine sensuality is allegorised. Are we seeing a celebration of change and growth? I'm wondering if that’s too generous an interpretation, given that the figure is positioned for the male viewer's pleasure, shrouded in that dark, indeterminate space you highlighted. There is little evidence of female agency. It recalls other artworks where 'femininity' is portrayed as fragile, and easily consumed by a 'masculine' dark world. Curator: I concede your points about vulnerability and historical objectification, but I still believe there's a complexity that resists a singular interpretation. Maybe Davies' intention wasn’t overtly political, but the painting holds an echo of resistance within an aesthetic that hints toward the hidden, a personal transformation shrouded in mystery. Editor: Well, whether or not we find it entirely empowering by today's standards, contextualizing "The Butterfly" with the art and social mores of its time undeniably illuminates the dialogue it seeks with us here, today.