Phosphorus and Hesperus

Evelyn De Morgan painted 'Phosphorus and Hesperus' in 1881, depicting the twin aspects of the planet Venus — Phosphorus as the morning star and Hesperus as the evening star — which the ancient Greeks had initially believed to be separate celestial bodies before understanding they were the same. The philosophical and spiritual implications of this identity in difference — the same light appearing as both herald of day and herald of night — suited De Morgan's meditative sensibility perfectly. The morning and evening star also carried associations with the goddess Venus/Aphrodite, connecting this cosmic subject to the tradition of ideal female figure painting that De Morgan pursued throughout her career. The De Morgan Centre's holding of this canvas places it within the specialist collection of her work. By 1881 her mature style was well established, and the dual-figure composition gave her the opportunity to explore both similarity and difference within a single aesthetic framework.

The oil on canvas employs De Morgan's characteristic clear, luminous colour and precise decorative figure style for this dual composition. The challenge of representing two aspects of the same phenomenon required careful differentiation through colour, costume, and expression while maintaining their fundamental identity. Warm golden dawn tones for Phosphorus and cooler dusky tones for Hesperus likely structure the compositional division.