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Butterflies and Roses
Butterflies and Roses
Butterflies and Roses

Butterflies and Roses

Artist (Dalbeattie, Scotland, 1905 - 1962)
Date1958
Mediumoil on canvas
ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings
DimensionsOverall: Height: 77 cm, Width: 63.5 cm
Frame: Height: 93.5 cm, Width: 80.8 cm
AcquisitionPurchased in 1959 with income from the Macdonald Bequest.
Copyright© John Maxwell
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG004375
About MeThe Scottish artist John Maxwell is best known for his symbolic, dreamlike images that are often close to work of Marc Chagall. This late work is one of a series of four based on the theme of moths, butterflies and roses which were inspired by a flowering bush in John Maxwell's garden. He combined this theme with the apparition of moths seen against a window at dusk. Like Chagall, Maxwell often juxtaposed landscape with objects seen close to - here the scale of the butterfly is magnified to such an extent that on immediate viewing the picture appears almost abstract.



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Created hazily and heavily textured, this painting appears to portray a dream about a butterfly and a rose.