Butterfly: Thomas Deininger's Contemporary Artwork

The contemporary artwork that I choose was Thomas Deininger’s work of art titled, Butterfly. The work is set on a light box which was built to illuminate a butterfly made from chain store plastic bags. After looking at this artwork more in-depth I realized that caution tape was used to block out the light which could symbolize how we should be concerned about polluting the environment. In this example by using plastic bags which can be harmful to what we treasure such as nature and beautiful butterflies. I feel that he is using irony to show that he used plastic which is hurting the environment to make something that is visually pleasing to an audience such as the colorful butterfly. Before researching the arts background I never realized how meaningful a picture could be or how someone could consider plastic bags and caution tape to be art. However, I now consider this to be a great piece of art full of meaning and lessons. I also enjoy the simple beauty of the piece due to the careful selection of colors he used from the plastic bags to form the butterfly.

Thomas Deininger’s background definitely influences his artwork. He is not only an artist but also an environmentalist and iconoclast. Therefore his artwork portrays his knowledge about the environment in very original and appealing traditions. He often uses untraditional materials such as; unrecyclable debris along with iconography to make his own definition of art and beauty. In this piece of art, similar to his other works, he skillfully arranges plastic bags and other nonessential material and creates an appealing image. He uses his artwork to raise questions about human consumerism and the environment by painting or using material we don’t really care about or that is harmful to the environment with something we care deeply for such as the beauty of nature and its creatures. Deininger feels that these opposites are what truly represent the world in which we live in and an honest expression of who we are in life.

This artwork is serious and addresses some very important environmental issues; however, it was also designed for viewers to enjoy and to be intrigued by. After thinking more about this artwork, I feel that he might have designed this on a light box to portray the fact that we are blocking the light and beauty of the world by harmful waste. Also, it is important to remember that in a world full of debris to still look for the beauty of nature. I feel that the cautioned tape was used to block the light to warm the viewers that this beauty might not be as prevalent in the world if we continue to harm the environment and to think about the beauty of a simple butterfly the next time you use a plastic bag or other object that is harmful for the atmosphere. I did not quite understand this work of art until I thought more carefully and researched the background of the artwork as well as the artist; however, I now see new meaning and enjoy the thought behind Butterfly. When Margot Livesely a guest columnist for the Boston Globe was discussing Josef Beuys and his globules of fat she stated, “What he was doing was boring, but also fascinating. And I began to grasp that if I watched patiently and gave up my own ideas of what made something interesting, of what made art, I had the chance to experience something profound”. After blocking out all of my judgments and ideas of what I felt was art, similar to Livesely, I was able to see the beauty and meaning behind Deininger’s artwork, which I feel can be seen in any form of art that at first doesn’t appeal to ones eye.