Five Butterflies

Odilon Redon, c. 1912

This painting shows five butterflies of various colors on a cream-colored background. The butterflies are arranged in a loose diagonal line, although four of them are gathered closer to the top-right corner. The butterflies are painted in colors such as blue, red, yellow, and brown. The butterflies are painted with varying levels of detail, with one in the center being particularly abstract. The lowest butterfly, near the bottom-left corner, appears to be crawling or is seen from a side view, while the other four are flying and are seen from above.
Artist
Odilon Redon
Date
c. 1912
Type
Drawing
Medium
watercolor on wove paper
Dimensions
27 × 21.1 cm
Collection
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Licence
Public domain, CC0

Image description

This painting shows five butterflies of various colors on a cream-colored background. The butterflies are arranged in a loose diagonal line, although four of them are gathered closer to the top-right corner. The butterflies are painted in colors such as blue, red, yellow, and brown. The butterflies are painted with varying levels of detail, with one in the center being particularly abstract. The lowest butterfly, near the bottom-left corner, appears to be crawling or is seen from a side view, while the other four are flying and are seen from above.

Odilon Redon