The Death of Orpheus

A ring of nude women grapples with the limbs of a fallen male body at the center of the canvas, one lifting a spotted animal pelt above the group; the struggle is bounded by a dark woven garland forming a circular frame against a turquoise, river-like ground with rust-orange corners. Isolated at the lower edge, detached from the violence above, a large head with reddish hair and wide staring eyes floats alone.

Deep turquoise and teal contrast with warm flesh ochres and burnt orange, brushwork loose and agitated with dark outlining and thick daubs modeling the twisting bodies. The effect is raw and unsettling, a charged, theatrical scene of myth and violence in heavy, tactile paint.