In art you can often notice a strange but surprisingly constant element - flies. Why do great artists incorporate these small, unsightly insects into their works of art? This phenomenon arouses curiosity and makes one think about the deeper meanings that may be hidden behind such a choice. Let's dive into the world of Lord of the Flies and uncover the secrets that may lie behind this unusual artistic decision.

Flies as artificial code: Reading artistic messages in insects

“The flies in my paintings are a metaphor for the unpredictability and passing of time, an incredibly subtle reminder of the perishability of all things.” - Claude Monet

 

 

The mysterious world of art once again invites us into its arms, and this time the focus is on a fly - a mysterious creature that stood in the way of great masters and adorned their canvases no less brightly than noble ladies or idyllic landscapes. Today we peer into artistic masterpieces to unravel the secrets that this little insect hides.

An unusual message is heard from London - in Dürer’s paintings, in particular on the copy of the famous “Madonna on the Knee,” we find a fly as if lodged in the center of attention of the work of art. This is not just a whim of the master, but a kind of key to understanding the depths of art. The sensation caused by this discovery cannot but interest researchers and art lovers.

"Scandalous, unprecedented, unclear - what did the artist want to say?" - critics are outraged. However, before we plunge into the maelstrom of speculation, let's remember that the history of art is full of such mysteries. Flies, as it turns out, are far from uncommon on canvases charged with serious content. Let's take a look at the artist's hints, and they will reveal their otherworldly world to us - exciting, mysterious and full of amazing revelations.

 

Let's start with cozy still lifes, where at first glance everything seems serene and joyful. Here is a basket of ripe fruits, there is a riot of fresh flowers. However, pay attention to that small detail - a fly, a cheat among the beautiful.

This is not an accident, but a wise message from the artist. Even in purely aesthetic scenes, where there are no human skulls and reminders of the frailty of existence, the fly tells us that beauty is temporary. The fruits seem juicy and appetizing, but the fly reminds them that over time they too will succumb to time, and their freshness will give way to the process of decomposition.

This invisible, otherworldly guide to the art world gives the artist the opportunity to play with perception and create three-dimensional visual symphonies. Take a look at the works of Fyodor Tolstoy and you will see how a fly becomes not just a detail, but an actor playing its role in the fascinating drama of flowers and fruits. Here it carries not only aesthetic harmony, but also philosophical depth, reminding us of the endless dance of time in every moment.

 

Well, these are just still lifes, and Durer’s fly swooped down on a religious painting, you object. Do not rush to dismiss still lifes as a frivolous genre: among the old Dutch, almost every painting is filled with religious meaning. And the apple on which the fly sits may well refer to the Fall in Eden. And even more so, the “strawberry” hints at sin, and the clove is the sacrifice of Christ, with which he atoned for human sins.

 

Do we still need flies that hover near the saints and even allow themselves to get close to the Madonna and Child? Please: Carlo Crivelli loved such tricks very much.

 

Just by the Baby’s glance at the fly, it is clear that it is here - both the sin that he will atone for and the evil that he will defeat. But at the same time, with Crivelli (like most other artists who depict flies in paintings where they don’t seem to belong) this is precisely a trick, a shameless demonstration of skill. And at the same time - a joke. Look how I can: you won’t even immediately understand that the fly is drawn! You will think that she sat on the painting and try to drive her away!

Tell me, is it not appropriate for a great artist to make such jokes? Oh, come on, Giotto himself joked like that. Well, at least Vasari talked about it (and the French art historian Daniel Arasse, who devoted an entire chapter to flies in the book “Detail in Painting,” clarified: in the times of Cimabue and Giotto they did not paint flies, but in the times of Vasari it was a popular practice — that’s why the joke was born):

“They also say that as a child, working with Cimabue, Giotto once depicted a fly on the nose of one of the figures painted by Cimabue, so naturally that, returning to work, Cimabue several times tried to drive away the fly with his hand, mistaking it for a real one, before he noticed your mistake." (Giorgio Vasari. Lives)

 

The fly is placed next to the artist's signature - this is an argument in favor of the fact that it is here to testify to the artist's skill.

 

Artists who plant very realistic flies in their paintings continue a challenge launched not even by Giotto, but by the ancient Greek painters Zeuxis and Parrhasius. Their works have not reached us, but the legend of the competition that made them the kings of the trompe l'oeil genre (in other words, pictorial trompe l'oeil) is alive. Here it is as retold by Mikhail Gasparov:

The most famous in painting were two pairs of rivals: in the 5th century Zeuxis and Parrhasius, in the 4th century Apelles and Protogenes.

Zeuxis and Parrhasius argued about who would paint the painting better. People gathered, two rivals came out, each holding a painting under a blanket. Zeuxis pulled back the cover - in the painting there was a bunch of grapes, so similar that birds flocked to peck at it. The people applauded. “Now you pull back the covers!” - Zeuxis said to Parrhasius. “I can’t,” replied Parrasius, “that’s what I drew.” Zeuxis bowed his head. “You won! - he said. “I deceived the eye of the birds, and you deceived the eye of the painter.”

It was not for nothing that Zeuxis chose a bunch of grapes as the subject for his painting: he knew how to depict this like no one else. One day he painted a boy with a grape in his hands, and again the birds flew in and pecked at the berries, and the people applauded. Only Zeuxis himself was dissatisfied. He said: “So I wrote the boy poorly: if the boy were as good, the birds would be afraid to fly up to the berries.”
(Mikhail Gasparov. Entertaining Greece)

In a copy of Dürer’s painting, a fly sits right on the Madonna’s leg—was it really possible that someone else allowed such close proximity between the saint and the despicable? Yes, sure.

Here, for example, is the work of Giovanni Santi, Raphael's father.

Here the fly sitting on the naked chest of Christ is not only a deception, not only a familiar symbol of sin and evil, which Christ opposes, but also a sign of death, mortality: it turns out to be an elegant reminder that the Son of God is also the son of man.

The Hungarian art critic Andor Pigler also suggested that the painted fly could serve as a kind of amulet: the evil depicted protected the painting from the real evil, in this case it scared away real flies that could spoil the painting surface.

Take a look at Bernardino Detti's canvas and you will discover that even pious works of art contain deep symbolism that can reveal philosophical secrets. "Madonna della Pergola" brings something unusual to the religious portrait: a small fly sits on the palm of Jesus.

This seemingly inconspicuous detail enlivens the plot and offers the viewer a kind of unraveling code. Why shouldn't the artist emphasize the fragility of Jesus' earthly life? Symbolically and mysteriously, the fly becomes an invisible conductor between us, earthly inhabitants, and the supernatural world.

The fly in the portrait may carry not only a harbinger of death, but also evoke reflection on the inherent impermanence of humanity even in the most sacred moments. This ironic reminder of the frailty of all earthly things can be both a joke and a serious, intricate statement. It all depends on how we are ready to perceive these invisible messages of art. Through the centuries, this fly remains a living testament to how artists invest deep meanings into their works, leaving us in bewilderment and admiration for their creative skill.

 

The people depicted above most likely received their portraits during their lifetime, and the artists were simply masterful: if the frame was painted, why not add a fly to the deception? As for the female portrait, its description on the gallery’s website makes the already known assumption that the painted fly could be thought of as protection from real evil.

 

We are immersed in the intricate intrigue of art, where Raphael’s canvases contain not only portraits, but also mysterious predictions. Let's take a look at Cardinal Bandinello, whose life and death were captured on the artist's canvas. In 1516, when Raphael contributed his talent to the portrait, the cardinal was alive and at the peak of his career.

However, time reveals its own secrets, and a year after the completion of the masterpiece, Bandinello finds himself accused of plotting against Pope Leo X. Life, so short and unpredictable, reminds us of its fragility. The fly in the portrait may have been added later as a mysterious sign, a harbinger of tragedy.

The black fly, contrasting against the snow-white background, can serve as a symbol of the evil that befell the cardinal from the pope. Bandinello, although acquitted, seems to have foreseen the dark shadows lurking in the future. Perhaps the fly is a sign of a “wormhole” in the cardinal’s fate, a harbinger of a curse that turned out to be impossible to avoid. Or perhaps it became a mute testimony to his inevitable loss, anticipating his death in 1518. Subtle details in art, such as the black wings of a fly, leave us wondering and making us relive the mysteries of the past.

And the next artist, most likely, was a widower and painted his wife from memory: the fact that she is dead is indicated not only by the fly, but also by the woman’s gaze: the husband is looking at us, but she is not.

 

A paintingsque fly will not give you peace, just like a fly that snuck into the room and prevents you from falling asleep or does not allow you to concentrate on a book does not give it. First, the drawn fly will make you brush it away, reflect on its reality, and then wonder what meanings the artist encrypted in it. Let me give you some advice: don't try to find one answer to this question. Perhaps artists fell in love with the fly precisely because, under the guise of a joke, it allows them to talk about many things at once. But at the same time, it does not oblige you to have a conversation.

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