read this from mar issue of vogue US. it’s really amazing. apparently, scholars in the 17th century believed that insects were spontaneously generated from mud- an Aristotle idea encouraged by the catholic church which described insects as ‘beasts of the devil’.
a german female entomologist (unheard of in those days), maria sibylla merian’s first major work on caterpillars changed all that: an artist by training, merian studied, sketched and made wonderously illustrated details of the entire life cycles of insect species and the plants they fed on. merian’s research proved that caterpillars morphed into butterflies and introduced the now familiar concept of metamorphosis. in short, if not for her we would still be thinking that butterflies flew straight out of mud.
merian’s art/science work is currently exhibited at the rembrandt house in amsterdam and will be travelling to the getty center in los angeles in june. wish we were there!
