The Bells 

Edmund Dulac created this illustration, “The Bells,” with watercolor and ink. The picture plane is divided between the dark earthy tones of the lower left, where a series of stylized arches frame a glimpse of the moon, and a column of celestial figures to the upper right. Dulac uses color to differentiate realms. Earthy purples and browns suggest a grounded, material space, while golden tones denote the divine. The figures, ethereal beings with feathered wings, ascend in a vertical arrangement, and their upward gaze directs our eyes to the upper reaches of the image. Here, we can consider Dulac's composition and the use of verticality as devices that evoke spiritual ascension and transcendence. The figures are stylized, and their features and the curves of their wings lend a dreamlike quality, inviting us to interpret the image as a symbolic representation of inner states and emotions. The artwork's meaning, much like the ringing of bells, is open to subjective interpretation. It resonates not just aesthetically but also as a cultural expression of belief in something beyond the material world.