August 09, 2012

L’ombre d’un papillon en vol


Schatten eines Schmetterlings im Fluge
Shadow of a flying butterfly




2 comments:

Linda Roth said...

I don't know what to say to this. Minimalism has never been me. Inbetweenism would be more acceptable. And Overdonism is more likely at this point of my development. From here, I went to see Yoko Ono's exhibit in London. The galleries were elegant. The art looked elegant in the elegant galleries. But take away the elegant galleries and a spindle of thread with a needle stuck through it becomes the Emperor's New Clothes: nothing is there. As for the symmetrical arrangement of conical piles of dirt on the floor. That's been done so many times before. Now there a gal whose traveling on her late husbands fame and can talk a good game.
I did like your shadow of a man's head. I think the shadow of a butterfly is more a kite.

Werner said...

Thanks Linda.
This is indeed a butterfly's shadow. A real one. (The paper is only 13 x 19 cm / 5.1 x 7.5 in.)
I followed the butterfly for a long time with my sheet of paper, until the insect finally fluttered in that position between the sun and the paper that allowed me to capture the shadow.
What I was interested in here was not to provide a drawing of any shape and then say 'it's this or that', challenging the spectator to believe me or not.
The fact that the whole drawing is a single 'sfumato' is the result of serious and patient observation: Due to the big distance between the paper and the butterfly, the contours are really so blurry.
It was rather a challenge for myself, to try if it's possible to capture such an ephemeral moment in a drawing, and to see what remains.
And here, I still see the butterfly dancing in the air.