Butterfly Peacock Bass 1997

Editor: So, this is Larry Stark's "Butterfly Peacock Bass," a photograph housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s quite vibrant. The fish looks almost unreal. What symbols or ideas do you see reflected in this image? Curator: Fish, throughout history, often symbolize abundance, fertility, and the subconscious. Consider the peacock bass itself, with its iridescent colors and the butterfly-like spot – a merging of aquatic and aerial imagery. Stark seems to be tapping into our deep connection to both the natural world and our own internal landscapes. What emotions does the image evoke for you? Editor: I feel a tension between the fish's beauty and the fact that it's caught, a kind of melancholic wonder. Curator: Precisely. It highlights the complex relationship between humanity and nature, where admiration and exploitation often coexist. Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way. It definitely gives the image a new layer of meaning. Curator: The beauty, combined with capture, reminds us that the natural world holds complex symbols that we are only beginning to fully appreciate.