Oil on panel, 20" x 16"
The Hamadryas Chloe Butterfly is from Peru, although that is irrelevant to the image, I think. One can't be sure if the head has just flown off the figure or if it is separate. There is the implication of disjuncture, as implied by the title of disparate body parts. The figure appears to be dancing or skipping away. Memory, time, and dreams may have a place here. The blue monochromatic palette and stark contrast evoke melancholia. The butterfly and the human head are fused together, feeling tattooed, visceral, not at all disjointed. If there is loss or abscence, it is not between the butterfly and the head. The pattern seems beautiful and strong like a radiating spider web, more sturdy than a lace ruff (see links).
http://www.carts.org/images/rosa-elena/rembrandt.jpg
http://www.spanisharts.com/history/barroco/imagenes/rembrandt/estudiante.html
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