Study for One of the Female Figures in the Painting Moonbeams Dipping into the Ocean 

Editor: This is a study in charcoal and pencil by Evelyn De Morgan, "Study for One of the Female Figures in the Painting Moonbeams Dipping into the Ocean." I find the downward gaze quite pensive and intimate. What do you see in this work? Curator: Well, looking through the lens of feminist art history, De Morgan's positioning within the Pre-Raphaelite movement is ripe for examination. The languid pose and delicate features of the subject are classically Pre-Raphaelite, but her choice to focus on female figures, particularly those connected to water and the moon, invites readings related to feminine power and spirituality. Do you think the idea of spirituality diminishes our view on her intention, maybe this gaze of intimacy suggests a more personal theme, what do you think? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way. Maybe the intimate gaze challenges the male gaze so prevalent during that era. So instead of just being observed, she seems to invite observation on her own terms. Curator: Exactly. We could argue that De Morgan actively reclaims agency through depictions of female subjects who are not simply objects of beauty, but carriers of profound emotion and, dare I say, inner strength. Considering Victorian society's repression of female sexuality, wouldn't you say she’s giving a voice to a previously silenced figure? Editor: Definitely! Seeing it within the context of second-wave feminism provides another layer of analysis for this piece. I had not previously thought of this work in such socially and politically-engaged terms. Curator: It’s these conversations that really bring historical works to life in the present, isn't it? And open us to new and perhaps unanticipated viewpoints on them.