Jun 21, 2009 9:09 am US/Eastern
CBS 2 At The Met: All About Bugs
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
These bugs don't bite, so come up close to see what the buzz is about. From the museum's permanent collection of nearly two million drawings and prints, a summer show of creepy crawlies from the 17th through the 20th Century. Imagine these bold beetles on your dining room wall. In this 1929 lithograph, the French artist, Emile-Allain Seguy, found insects made interesting Art Deco designs.
Associate Curator Nadine Orenstein tells CBS2's Dana Tyler, "He went to the Natural Museum in Paris and made drawings sketches of insects, colorful, very accurate drawings of insects, then he put them in prints in his portfolio showing how insects could be worked into Art Deco design. This beetle from Madagascar is blue, green, and black He shows how he worked that beetle design into a very abstract pattern that could be used for fabric for wallpaper."
Orentstein says in the 1600's, people loved to collect insect specimens. Translation: dead bugs! Especially rare specimens for exotic places. So imagine the excitement in Holland when Dutch painter Balthasar van der Ast came up with this oil sketch, half a world away.
"What's interesting is the two objects he shows here, the Arrowhead Blue Butterfly and the Scotch Bonnet Shell are not native to Holland, Europe or anywhere near where he was painting. They're actually native to the Americas. The shell found along the East Coast of the U.S., all the way down to Brazil and the butterfly is actually found on the West Coast, so these would have been very exotic specimens."
Since bugs never bug Entomologists, artists were swarmed by scientists. Orenstein explains. "Certain artists would be hired to do images of insects for a scientist who is creating a book. As we have here, these all of these wood engravings were meant as illustrations. It's wonderful to see these insects, see all detail without them flying into your face!"
Just itching to see this exhibition? Well, make sure you visit the Met's Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. Gallery before July 13.
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