Moonbeams Dipping Into The Sea 1918

Evelyn De Morgan created this painting, Moonbeams Dipping Into The Sea, with oil paint and a touch of the ethereal. The mark-making here isn't about bravura brushstrokes but something more subtle, almost dreamlike. You can tell that De Morgan built this scene with many layers of thin paint. There's a real tenderness to the way she renders the bodies of the figures, a flowing cascade of limbs, hair and drapery. Look closely, and you'll notice how the paint seems to melt into the canvas, creating this otherworldly, almost surreal effect. The colors! Oh, the colors! That pale, shimmering light, the way it hits the water, it’s pure magic. Check out the swirling cloud behind the figures; it feels like a portal, right? The artist's interest in both spiritualist themes, and the female figure remind me of Hilma af Klint. Ultimately, De Morgan is less concerned with representation and more with feeling. There's a sense of melancholy and longing, but also hope. It’s a beautiful, ambiguous dance.