How tiny insects have shaped human art, fashion, and ancient myths

Nature · Published 23 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: From Renaissance painters testing perspective with flies to ancient Egyptian gods, insects have long been more than just pests. They have served as pigments, textiles, and even spiritual symbols, challenging us to shift our perspective from revulsion to a profound, creative fascination.

For millennia, insects have functioned as both the medium and the subject of human creativity. In the Renaissance, painters would sometimes include flies in their work to demonstrate their mastery of perspective. Beyond mere imagery, insects have provided the raw materials for much of our material culture. Moth larvae, bees, and beetles have historically supplied silk, wax, and dyes. For example, the Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck used red pigment derived from cochineal insects, while the Awajún people of South America incorporated iridescent beetle elytra into ear ornaments. Even Tibetan horse armor has been decorated with shellac derived from lac bugs.

The influence of insects extends into the realm of the spiritual and the mythological. In ancient Egypt, the behavior of scarab beetles—rolling dung to provide food and shelter for their young—was used to symbolize the god Khepri rolling the sun across the sky. Similarly, in Navajo creation myths, the emergence of cicadas from underground mirrors the way humans emerge into the world. These connections highlight how ancient observers used the life cycles of insects to frame their own existence.

Today, this relationship is evolving into a form of biological collaboration. Contemporary artists like Jennifer Angus create installations where insects become part of patterns reminiscent of wallpaper, while researchers look toward the future of biotechnology. We are seeing spider silk being explored as a next-generation textile and ants providing inspiration for new engineering and choreography. As we face a changing planet, the transition from viewing insects as hostile swarms to seeing them as essential collaborators may offer a more sustainable way to design our future.

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