Titre : From the French Artist Bouguereau to Modern Science: Why Are We Captivated by Butterfly Eyespots? 

Auteurs : Md Jahir Rayhan
, Vazrick Nazari
,  

Revue : Art and Science 

Numéro : Issue 2 

Volume : 10 

Date : 2026/06/8 

DOI : 10.21494/ISTE.OP.2026.1467 

ISSN : 2515-8767 

Résumé : The French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825 – 1905) used real European butterfly models with vivid eyespots to depict the wings of mythological figures such as Zephyr, Flora, Eros, and Psyche in his paintings. Here we analyze these works of art, identify the butterfly species depicted, and discuss the potential symbolic meanings behind these paintings. 

Éditeur : ISTE OpenScience