pollen 2015

Camilla d'Errico made "Pollen" in the 20th century, and you can almost feel the delicate process of layering these washes of pale pink and creams in the piece. The image flickers, as if lit from within. Imagine d'Errico in her studio, building up the layers, the pressure of the brush on the paper, the feel of it yielding to the paint. There's something deeply feminine and introspective about this composition, with its gentle colors and dreamlike imagery. See how the wind-up bees suggest movement and transformation? And that circular aperture that reveals the butterfly, a symbol of metamorphosis. The butterfly is a really beautiful touch that brings the whole piece into a conversation with symbolism across eras. The more you look at this piece, the more you get the sense that d'Errico is creating a whole personal world, as all good artists do.