Le Museum: Le papillon rouge 1963

Bernard Buffet made this painting of a red butterfly at an unknown date with, I presume, oil paint on canvas. The brushstrokes feel restless, each one is distinct and creates a feeling of movement and fragility, even though the butterfly itself looks quite menacing. Buffet uses a limited palette: shades of yellow as a background, with red and black for the butterfly itself. The paint application is quite thin, almost translucent in places, allowing the texture of the canvas to show through, though some areas, like the dots on the wings, have more impasto. Look at the legs of the butterfly – they are spindly and delicate, rendered with quick, decisive strokes. The contrast between the fragile lines of the legs and the bold shapes of the wings is striking, somehow it makes the butterfly feel quite vulnerable. Buffet’s direct and expressive style reminds me of Francis Bacon; both artists share a fascination with the darker aspects of human experience. Like Bacon, Buffet embraces ambiguity, inviting us to find our own meaning in the work.