"Red Butterflies, 1998" - Hunt Slonem

Canvas Size: 36 x 48 inches. Hand Signed, dated, inscribed on verso.
 
The iconic and wildly popular works of Hunt Slonem are a the essence of lavishness and luxury. They are inspired by the animals that the artist observes in his private aviary where he houses exotic birds and insects. His compositions reflect his fascination with nature and spirituality. This oil on canvas work is an abstract, richly textured composition that features an, earthy, warm and metallic color palette featuring shades of rust, gold, orange and ochre with accents in sky blue, black, white, and gray. The surface has a distinctive impasto texture, created by cross-hatching or scraping the paint while it is in a wet and mailable state, giving it an shimmer similar to a finely woven fabric. Emerging subtly from this complex ground are the hazy and ethereal shapes of multi-colored cloud of butterflies. The piece balances the rich, tactile surface with illuminated color and the interplay between the rough surface and the delicate, ephemeral forms.
 
This piece is ready to hang as a hand stretched canvas on wooden stretcher bars, unframed.