Welcoming Dusk 2018

Curator: Daria Theodora painted "Welcoming Dusk" in 2018, using watercolor to conjure a unique scene. I’m struck by its captivating blend of the contemporary with echoes of something ancient. Editor: Yes, I’m drawn in by that melancholic mood; it has this overwhelming sense of impending stillness, like time itself is about to hold its breath. Curator: Observe the recurring imagery of the fox. Throughout cultures, foxes have served as symbols for cunning, magic, but also adaptability and protection, offering safe passage to those navigating liminal spaces. Her face certainly strikes one of melancholic understanding. Editor: And that sense of passing from one place to another, a state of transition—that’s precisely where I see its resonance with contemporary struggles of identity. This is a space of in-betweenness; is she powerful, or powerless? Adorned and grand, but weighted, subdued. Who decides the terms of her selfhood? Curator: I love your observation about that tension. Look at her lantern filled with flowers. Lanterns signify enlightenment but also guidance through darkness, a visual paradox, no? But that resonates on a spiritual level. The light she carries seems more inward-directed, not as a beacon to others, but to protect her own essence. Editor: Perhaps her identity must come first and foremost for herself, no matter how that subverts the society around her? That reading makes her heavy robes feel almost like a burden, symbols of tradition, weighing her down. The artwork speaks volumes about self-determination. Curator: It's compelling how Theodora melds a fairytale aesthetic with such relevant issues, it becomes more universally relevant, spanning multiple contexts. Editor: Yes. And those stylistic choices of portraiture also bring a necessary degree of intimacy, as a crucial political consideration, given the issues addressed in the art piece. This portrait reminds me of how much potential exists at dusk and how it is so beautiful. Curator: It also makes me consider how old archetypes live within each of us and their strength in the face of any time.