Entomology meets art
Vadim Zaritsky, a modern Russian artist, uses the wings of deceased butterflies to create many realistic works of art depicting landscapes, political figures and many beautiful scenery pieces His creativity is astounding and his technique is so natural that it is nearly impossible to tell that he is using butterfly wings until close examination shows the true beauty of these winged insects coming through in his art.
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Personal history
Zaritsky did not begin his career as an artist. He worked as a member of the police force in Lipetsk, Russia where he lives. He continued to pursue his passion for entomology and created around 100 pieces in the past 5 years, even though he was employed as an officer for four of those years. The art pieces take Zaritsky anywhere between a week and several months to create and can consume thousands of butterfly wing fragments. As an entomologist he saw the beauty in these wings and devised a way that he could use all of them, including fragments and faded pieces in a way that preserved their beauty and created something spectacular.
Ethics in Wing Harvesting
Zaritsky has been quoted saying “Insects are a natural link in the food chain between plants and vegetables. Nature has designed them as a source of food for other species. This kind of natural extermination has no effect on insect populations, since they multiply at an even faster rate. For instance, in just one Texas district, cave bats eat over 240 tons of insects every night. What damage could we, entomologists, possibly cause?” He also insists that he only uses the wings of dead butterflies, many that die in large numbers together and can be picked up by the artist and his faithful helpers around the area that he lives in. Many other entomologists collect wings and donate or trade with Zaritsky for more butterflies. He stresses that none of them are killed to accommodate his paintings, they are simply used when they no longer have another purpose. There are some people who do not appreciate his use of dead butterfly parts, finding it morbid and unethical. in spite of this, most artists and entomologists alike, appreciate his art.