Studio: international art (79.1920)

IN MEMORIAM: EVELYN DE MORGAN

hibited at the Grosvenor and New Gallery
annually when young, in common with
many of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood,
she never sent to the Academy. Her pic-
tures were best seen by themselves ; the
varying scales and colours of surrounding
pictures were at war with such individual
work as she produced. 000
It would be beyond the scope of this
article to mention more than a few of her
pictures. The four illustrations, however,
give an idea of her versatility. 0 0

Sleeping Earth and Wakening Moon is a
fanciful poem in terms of paint. The
sleeping figure of Earth resting in shadow
is the embodiment of repose, while set in a
sphere of tempered light the exquisite little
Wakening Moon's golden locks trail away
into light clouds. The shadow of the
earth is faintly seen through the moon.
The whole picture is full of luminosity,
Cassandra shows another phase of her
art. It was Cassandra, daughter of Priam,
and high priestess of Apollo, who foretold
the destruction of Troy to unheeding
citizens. She is represented in the act of
rending her hair, as she stands in her
sorrow with her back to the burning city of
Troy, and the red roses lie scattered at her
feet. The colour scheme is of soft shades
of blue, orange and brown, and the blue
robe is very decorative. 000
Venus and Cupid was executed when the
artist was twenty-three. The calm, sweet
majesty of Venus and the radiant youth of
Cupid illuminate the canvas. The colour
is particularly charming, and the low hori-
zon gives a feeling of restfulness to the
composition. 0000

Evelyn De Morgan did not confine her
art to one medium : she has left many
drawings in crayon and pencil, and she also
excelled as a sculptor. The monument to
her husband was her design, carried out by
Sir George Frampton. The figure on the
left symbolizes grief, in the act of quench-
ing the torch she carries. Psyche, on the
right, is inciting her to fairer thoughts. It is
interesting to note that the mourner bears
a strong likeness to Evelyn De Morgan.
The inscription was her own wording :
“ Sorrow is of the earth. The life of the
spirit is joy." When Mrs. De Morgan lost
her husband the mainspring of her life was
broken. The time of probation was brief,

she passed away last year after a short
illness. Those who cared for her felt that
this was just as she wished. 0 0

The pictures now reproduced are the
property of Mrs. De Morgan's sister, Mrs.
Stirling, who has made a collection for
some years with a view to forming a
gallery for the nation to contain some of
the finest specimens of both Mr* and Mrs.
De Morgan's art. Other examples are at
Leighton House, belonging to Mr. Spencer
Pickering's collection. 000
The present age is not in sympathy with
symbolism and the things dealing with
eternal truths. A future generation will
doubtless turn to them again, and it is safe
to prophesy that Evelyn De Morgan's
works will be as eagerly sought after as
some of the Old Masters are to-day. 0
Isabel McAllister

MEMORIAL TO WILLIAM DE MOR-
GAN, BROOKWOOD CEMETERY
DESIGNED BY EVELYN DE MORGAN

31