Artwork
The Oleander Moth
The Oleander Moth is a watercolor work on paper by the Art Brut artist Arthur A. Haserick. It dates from 1924 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Arthur A.
About this work
Overview
Haserick’s 1924 watercolor, titled The Oleander Moth, depicts a single moth with its wings fully extended against a neutral, light background.
Arthur A. Haserick’s 1924 watercolor, titled The Oleander Moth, depicts a single moth with its wings fully extended against a neutral, light background. The composition isolates the insect, allowing viewers to examine its delicate form and coloration without distraction. The work is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection, where it is displayed among other natural‑history illustrations.
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents an oleander moth, rendered with scientific precision to highlight its anatomical features. By focusing on the insect’s wing patterns and body hairs, the image serves both as a visual record for entomological study and as an appreciation of the subtle beauty found in everyday fauna.
Technique & Style
Executed in watercolor, the piece relies on thin washes and fine brushwork to achieve the soft browns, muted greens, and faint purplish margins of the wings. Delicate line work defines the antennae and the fine setae covering the moth’s body, while subtle gradations convey the translucency of the wing membranes, reflecting the meticulous approach typical of early‑20th‑century scientific illustration.
History & Provenance
Created in 1924, the work entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s holdings through acquisition aimed at expanding its natural‑history illustration collection. Its presence in the museum underscores the institution’s commitment to preserving artworks that bridge artistic practice and scientific documentation.
Artist & collection
Artist
Arthur A. Haserick liked to sit very still. At a picnic table or a windowsill, he’d wait until moths and butterflies landed nearby, then slowly sketch their wings before they fluttered off. He painted them lifelike,…
The Purple Emperor Butterfly
Blue Underwing Moth and Spurge Hawk Moth (plate 25 from Ignis)
Plate 26: Two Hawk Moths
Side view of a bat with wings folded
A Bird
Hawkmoth
Attacus Jacobaea
Muscarum Scarabeorum, vermiumque Variae Figure & Formae: A Moth, Three Butterflies and Two Beetles
Butterfly (Old World Swallowtail)
