Beningfields Butterflies - Hardcover

ROBERT GOODDEN

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844060195 ISBN 13: 9781844060191

Publisher: SELECT EDITIONS, 2008

Synopsis

The paintings of Gordon Beningfield all have their inspiration in the beauty of the countryside, hence their great and growing appeal to nature lovers. Butterflies, in particular, he shows as living creatures in their natural surroundings, seeing them not only with the vision of a painter but with the eye of a naturalist. His work is far removed from that of the illustrator whose pictures are intended as aids to identification and therefore display dead specimens in attitudes fixed on the setting board. Benningfield's butterflies are shown as they can be observed ar rest, poised on leaves or flowers. With meticulous detail and striking fidelity of colour, Beningfield captures the transient beauty of living butterflies. This new edition of Gordon Beningfield's first book contains full-size colour reproductions of the four paintings especially commissioned by the Post Office for the stamps issued in May 1981. Two of them show butterflies that may still be found in many parts of the country, the Small Tortoiseshell and the Peacock. The other two depict the Large blue, which is now extinct in Britain, and the Chequered Skipper, which is thought to have died out in England, although it can still be found in Scotland. These pictures, together with the others in the book, serve as a poignant reminder of the vulnerability of our natural heritage. The text that accompanies the plates is written by Robert Goodden, whose butterfly breeding centre in Dorset has become world famous.

Edition details

• Publisher: SELECT EDITIONS
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1844060195
• ISBN 13: 9781844060191
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 94