Butterfly Dance – Oil on Canvas by Cornelie Wolff

Butterfly Dance – Oil on Canvas

Dimensions: 30 cm x 30 cm x 4 cm

Medium: Oil

Butterfly Dance is a whimsical and intimate oil on canvas painting that captures a moment of serene movement and graceful solitude. The artwork is a beautiful expression of the connection between the human form and the delicate beauty of nature.

The painting’s central figure is a woman, seen from behind, as she turns her head to the side. Her form is rendered in soft, fluid brushstrokes, with a warm palette of browns and creamy yellows that gives her a luminous quality. Her hair is a cascade of dark tones, partially obscuring her face and adding a sense of mystery and introspection.

The canvas is a blank space of pure white and soft grey, which serves to emphasise the figures and their dynamic interaction. This contrast between the simple, quiet portrait and the fantastical butterflies makes the painting feel like a beautiful, waking dream.

Fluttering around her are several large butterflies, painted in a muted palette of greys, blues, and whites. These elegant creatures are in various stages of flight, creating a sense of dynamic energy and lightness that perfectly complements the woman’s graceful posture. The title “Butterfly Dance” suggests that the woman is not simply observing the butterflies but is part of their ballet, swaying to an unheard melody.

This oil on canvas is a powerful tribute to the quiet moments of beauty and introspection.

Oil on Canvas

Cornelie Wolff Approaching Art from a Different Angle

This Johannesburg-based artist started as a pharmacist.  After completing her Honours Degree in Psychology, she joined Helios to further her skills in Art Therapy.   During this time, she fell in love with art, the process and the emotional power it yields.

While raising her family, which consisted of three young children, she took part-time classes with Rika de Klerk and Willie Jacobs.  She also attended workshops led by Koos Bronkhorst, Niel Moss, Willie Jacobs, Rentia Coetzee, Ruth Walters, Elize Bezuidenhout, Douw van Heerden, Charla Maarschalk, and Jennifer McChristian.

Today, she practices what she preaches by creating her work under the motto: “With every painting I complete, I grow as a person and an artist.”

My art is created from a place of wonder – it is my dream for every human to never completely lose the child inside them, because it is our ability to see wonder and magic in things.  I use bold brushstrokes, contrast and an impressionistic approach to entice the viewer to create their own interpretation of the subject and become part of my world.