The artwork, “The Passing of the Soul at Death,” created by Evelyn De Morgan in 1918, is a symbolic painting that belongs to the Romanticism art movement. The painting is a profound representation focused on the theme of the soul’s journey at the moment of death.
In the piece, a serene figure clad in a flowing pink garment, crowned with flowers, reclines against a rocky backdrop. The figure’s eyes are closed, and she appears to be in a state of peaceful slumber. Hovering nearby is a spectral, illuminated figure dressed in a translucent, ethereal gown, extending a hand towards the reclining form. The background is a dramatic array of rugged, mountainous terrain bathed in otherworldly light, evoking a sense of both desolation and transcendence. An ominous dragon-like creature entwines the rocks in the upper left, symbolizing the presence and eventual transcendence of mortal fears and challenges. The artwork conveys a transition between earthly suffering and spiritual awakening, encapsulating the Romanticists’ fascination with introspection and the metaphysical.
