The Butterfly Queen’s Kiss
In this painting, the young maiden is a symbol of the female fertilizing force. Her hair is metamorphosing from feathers to wings and back again. The wings represent the flight of freedom of her soul. In contrast, her crown which glitters with jewels and her sensual appearance link her strongly to the material, earthly realm. The two butterflies who come together in a “kiss” also become the covering for her nakedness. This “kiss”, symbol of the happiness brought by union also serves to remind us that the butterfly cross-fertilizes as she carries pollen from one place to another. The Butterfly Queen’s soul fertilizes her mind with night dreams just as these universal archetypes fertilize our mundane world and thus transform it to a place of enchantment. The Butterfly Queen occupies center-stage as she brings contrasting forces into harmony and union. We are left asking, is this real or is it a dream? Perhaps it is both.
