"Buster"
2010
Graphite on panel
23.75 x 17.5 inches
Several of Phil Knoll's mixed media drawings currently on view at Morgan Lehman Gallery are quite lovely. "Buster," the piece reproduced above, is by far the show's standout work. Unfortunately, I am unable to identify the species of beetle Knoll depicts. Any coleopterists reading?
Update: A big thank you to Chris Rywalt, who identified the beetle as Lucanus cervus, one of the better known varieties of stag beetle. Chris is also an artist and art blogger. Visit his NYC Art site to read his essays.
4 comments:
I think I even found the photo he used as a reference for Lucanus cervus.
Chris:
Thank you very much! Did you just happen to know the species or did you do better sleuthing than I did?
I owe you an email, but it may be slow in coming. I'm playing catch up from the west coast!
I knew it was a stag beetle and Googled that. Turns out there are hundreds of stag beetle species -- which I didn't know -- but one of the first images caught my eye.
No hurry on e-mail. I didn't realize you were out there already! Dude, you're missing out on the 90-degree heat!
Chris:
That's great. My beetle knowledge is shamefully lacking. I'm psyched that you recognized it as a stag beetle, and even more pleased that you were able to stumble upon the precise ID!
I'm still in the 90-degree heat, unfortunately! I don't move until later this month.
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