Earthbound 1897

Curator: Evelyn De Morgan painted "Earthbound" in 1897, and its mood just washes over you, doesn't it? Editor: It certainly does. Melancholy. The colors are muted, that sorrowful king looks completely dejected as he clutches his coins. A blue figure sweeps in… there’s almost a celestial struggle happening there. I wonder what it all means? Curator: Symbolically, a great deal, I suspect! Look closely. We have this elderly king, laden with earthly riches, yet bound to his earthly possessions. Notice the figure covering him with a starry blue veil? The moon phases adorn her brow and I see how those are spirits, not clouds, floating on the bottom of the painting. Editor: So, it's a soul's journey then? Stripping away the material to reveal...something else. That flying woman in the background makes me wonder if it represents a potential future, or escape? Curator: Precisely! De Morgan often used mythology and symbolism to explore themes of spiritual transformation and the conflict between earthly and heavenly desires. Her engagement with Spiritualism shaped her visual language, where figures aren't just characters, but allegories of deeper, internal battles. Editor: Those hands holding onto the coins! The way the starry blue drapes contrasts so beautifully with his golden robes, but ultimately obscures his form... Is the starry veil meant to represent liberation? It is not fully covering him. Curator: That's precisely the question. Is it a liberation or a constraint? She appears to represent a gateway. I suspect De Morgan implies that enlightenment involves an abandonment of earthly attachments to allow this celestial transformation. But to fully accept this freedom demands a surrender, and there may be a sense of regret inherent to it. He seems sad but not in terror or pain. Editor: It’s such a gentle piece in a way, despite its somberness. This painting just hangs in the air doesn’t it? A dream and an ending combined, quite something. Curator: Indeed. A symbolic invitation to ponder our own earthbound tethers, even as we dream of something beyond.