| Object Number: | P_EDM_0034 | |
| Date: | 1900 | |
| Category: | Highlights, Oil on canvas, Paintings, and Paintings Highlights | |
| Material: | Oil on canvas | |
| Dimensions: | Canvas: H 1225 x W 1765 mm Framed: H 1540 x W 2080 x D 85 mm | |
| Inscriptions: | Signature, 1900: EDeM / 1900 |
In this painting the element of rain, thunder and lightning are personified as strong, beautiful female spirits, causing chaos and turbulence in the sea below them. To the left, dressed in yellow, is the spirit of Rain pouring grey water from a never-ending vial. To the right, Lightning – a red-winged figure with winged feet, hurls lightning bolts into the storm. At the top centre is the spirit of the Thunderclouds, dressed in dark blue with her dark wings and draperies merging into the thunderclouds around her.
However, in the centre of the image, is a small oasis of sanctuary, away from the pandemonium of the foreground, which offers a sense of hope for a calmer future. The painting was executed in the middle of the Boer War and as such, it can be read as a symbolic depiction of the chaos of war and hope for a return to peace.