Doves and Dreams

'Ill Omen' or 'Girl in the East Wind with Ravens Passing the Moon', 1893, Frances MacDonald

Pencil and watercolour
s. and d.b.r.: ‘FRANCES E. MACDONALD / 1893.’
51.7 x 42.7 (20 5/16 x 16 ¾ )
Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow

Macdonald’s powerful image conveys a haunting sense of isolation and menace, heightened by the muted moonlit colour scheme, the figure’s enclosed stance and downcast eyes, and the flight of ravens – traditional symbols of foreboding.