Torment 1919 - 1920

Arthur Bowen Davies made this print, 'Torment,' using etching, a process that, for me, is all about revealing the unexpected. The powdery texture here is like a dream, or maybe a nightmare – it’s hard to tell. It almost looks like mist, or maybe a sort of shroud. Look at how the figure seems to emerge from the haze, her form not quite solid, caught between worlds. There's a landscape in the background, but it is obscured, as if buried in memory. This tension between what is visible and what is hidden makes the image so compelling. The figure seems caught in a moment of vulnerability. The title might suggest anguish, but her expression could equally imply peace. This reminds me a little of Odilon Redon’s prints, where the symbolism isn't fixed. Just as in Redon’s work, here, things hover, refusing to resolve into any one meaning. It’s about possibilities and interpretations, isn’t it?