Sleep and Death, the Children of the Night 1883

Evelyn De Morgan painted "Sleep and Death, the Children of the Night," in the late 19th century, a period when artists were fascinated by mythology and symbolism. Here, we see Nyx, the goddess of night, watching over her twin sons, Sleep and Death. The moon, a symbol of the night, hangs in the sky, while at the bottom of the painting, the extinguished torch signals the end of life. Notice how the figure of Death extinguishes the torch as he stares out at the viewer. From ancient Greece to the Renaissance, we find this visual language used to express fundamental truths about human existence. In the Renaissance, for instance, we often see depictions of Chronos or Father Time extinguishing a flame, symbolizing the fleeting nature of life. The power of this symbolism lies in its ability to evoke profound emotional responses and access our deepest fears and hopes. This image, like others, reminds us of the cyclical progression of life. We are drawn to these symbols because they resonate with our collective memory, reminding us that these themes have been with humanity since its beginning.