The Red Cross c. 1918

Evelyn De Morgan made "The Red Cross" with oil paint, and looking at it, I imagine her building up the image in layers, kind of like glazing. The whole thing glows with a light from within, especially the figure in red, with angels all around. I wonder what De Morgan was thinking about as she worked on this, layering those translucent glazes. She was part of the Arts and Crafts movement, so she must have been contemplating ideas about beauty, spirituality, and maybe even social responsibility. See how the red figure stands out against the muted background and dark graveyard. It's a bold statement, almost like a beacon of hope amidst a somber landscape. The smoothness of the paint gives everything an ethereal quality, like a dream. De Morgan's paintings are like little portals into another world. You get the sense that artists like her were in a conversation, echoing themes of love, loss, and redemption.