Dream Of The Orient 

Gustave Moreau made this watercolour titled ‘Dream of the Orient’, and the title invites us to consider both what and how it depicts. The eye is immediately drawn to the central figure of a woman on a dragon-like creature, rendered in soft, dreamlike washes of color. The composition is structured around a vertical axis, with the dragon and rider centrally placed against a hazy landscape. Moreau's technique involves layering translucent hues, creating a sense of ethereal depth. The dragon's form dissolves into the background, challenging our perception of distinct objects. This dissolution reflects a broader Symbolist interest in evoking emotions and ideas through suggestion rather than explicit representation. Moreau uses the formal qualities of watercolor – its fluidity and transparency – to destabilize established meanings. What does this amalgamation of the mythical and the ethereal tell us? The dreamlike quality doesn’t just function aesthetically. It asks us to reconsider the boundaries between reality and imagination, representation and abstraction, in art, even today.