At Nebuchadnezzar's Court 1927

Editor: Here we have Philip Evergood’s 1927 watercolor and ink painting, "At Nebuchadnezzar's Court." It feels...almost dreamlike. The figures seem to float within this watery landscape, like characters in a half-remembered myth. What's your take? Curator: Oh, I adore this! The wash of color, the spectral figures... it's as if Evergood dipped his brush into the collective unconscious. This isn’t a literal depiction of Nebuchadnezzar's court, but an emotional, expressionistic rendering. Don't you get a sense of unease, perhaps even dread, bubbling beneath the surface of that beautiful watercolor? Editor: Yes, especially in those shadowy figures at the front. I assumed "historical painting" meant something more… straightforward. Curator: Ah, but Evergood wasn't after historical accuracy, darling. He's diving into the psychological space *around* history. Think of Expressionism's penchant for raw emotion, of art wrestling with inner demons in the face of global instability. He captures the intoxicating and terrifying sensation of power, wouldn’t you agree? Do you also see any references in this piece to his later focus on Social Realism, perhaps hints of how social hierarchy can descend into pandemonium? Editor: I do see the anxiety of chaos here, though not sure how I'd tie it to his later work yet! But the anxiety, certainly... Curator: That’s the magic, isn’t it? This piece hints at those anxieties. It's like Evergood is showing us the emotional residue of history – a ghost story told in watercolor. Editor: I’ll definitely remember that – "the emotional residue of history." Makes you look at any historical depiction differently, doesn't it? Curator: Precisely! I daresay our understanding has been well and truly *enlightened*.