Semele or Fireflies 1907

Arthur Bowen Davies made this painting with oil on canvas, layering dark tones against luminous highlights. The canvas is a field for conjuring an atmosphere of twilight enchantment. I can imagine the artist working on it, swiping and layering, adding firefly dots of light, letting the image emerge from the murk. The artist teases out a reclining nude, her form glowing against the darkness. I wonder, was Davies thinking of classical odalisques, or perhaps a woodland nymph? The paint application feels thin and transparent in areas, allowing the ground to peek through. Then thick and opaque in others, building up texture and light. The artist’s hand seems to waver between definition and dissolution. That single outstretched arm, reaching towards the viewer, feels so inviting, as if beckoning us to join her in this dreamy landscape. It reminds me a little of other Symbolist painters like Puvis de Chavannes. Davies seems to be hinting at something beyond the visible. It’s like he’s saying: painting is not just about what we see, but what we feel and imagine. A feeling that then reverberates down the halls of art history.