Fly Exhibition in Paris
Paintings by Eugene Seguy and Information about Flies
Eugene Seguy (1890 - 1985) founded the 'Diptera' section of the museum and was also an accomplished designer and 'peintre miniaturiste'.
The true flies (Diptera) are very successful insects, with more than 134,000 living species. They are worldwide and range from pollinators through predators and parasites on to the specialised blood-suckers. They now have their own exhibition at the Natural History Museum in Paris this year.
Exhibitions
This very informative exhibition also shows some of the wonderful paintings of flies by Eugene Seguy. In this respect it is similar to the ‘Amazing Rare Things’ Exhibition - now in Edinburgh and next year in London (The Queen’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse 2 March – 16 September 2007and then at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace 14 March – 21 September 2008). Both exhibitions show the extent to which Biologists become enthralled by their subject, and if they can paint they sometimes produce genuine works of art. If you are in Paris this year you must visit this Exhibition about Flies, and you might also find time to look at the rest of the museum (Natural History Museum Website).
Comments
My own visit to the ‘Amazing Rare Things’ exhibition inspired my article about ‘The Lanternfly’, and the exhibition in Paris has got me interested in flies and maggots again! If you visit either of these exhibitions and have any comments you might like to visit the discussion area and share your thoughts. (If you develop an interest in flies you might also like to visit the Dipterists Forum Website.)
Butterflies and Design
Although he is perhaps best known for his work on flies Eugene Seguy also painted other insects. If you are not able to get worked up about flies then you might like to look at some of his Butterfly Paintings. Here we see the talent of man. Some of the work in ‘Papillons’ faithfully records the detail of individual species, while other plates move on to pure design and are intended to give inspiration people working in the decorative arts.
Floral Designs
Seguy’s early work as a designer (from about 1900 to 1930) concentrated on flowers. They are not accurate in the way his insect work is, but concentrate on the subtle use of colour and form. They remind me very much of the work of Maria Sibylla Merian. She used her painting as a way of recording information but, like Seguy, could not resist the urge to produce truly beautiful, well-designed, images.
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