Very often, the source of Moro’s inspiration became works of medieval art. The artist believed that medieval symbols could be used to spiritualize contemporary art.
Moreau hundreds of times copied scenes of old tapestries, illustrations from manuscripts, made sketches of sculptures, metal and jewelry, which he found not only in the halls of museums, but also in books and magazines. In 1882, the Museum de Clooney acquired the famous tapestry “Lady with the Unicorn”.
Moreau was struck by this masterpiece of Flemish art, and since then a unicorn, a symbol of strength and purity, has increasingly appeared on his paintings. The painting “Unicorns” was never finished. It became culminating in the development of this theme and one of the last attempts of the artist to revive medieval traditions. He conveyed the scene, “which takes place on a magical island, where only women and unicorns live.”
The graceful nude makes you think of Fontainebleau’s school, and the contrast between the dressed and naked figures echoes Titian’s famous “Earthly and Heavenly Love”.
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