Des cheveux noirs (L'Ange du mal)

The vast majority of Fernand Khnopff's work showcases his talent as a draughtsman and his small-scale works on paper are among his most celebrated works. The subtle nuances and gradations of tone on paper endow Des cheveux noirs with a heavy and mysterious atmosphere, perfectly suited to the femme fatale he depicts. Although she bares the characteristic traits of one of Khnopff's archetypal heroines - fair-eyed, distant and supremely elegant, the provocatively posed figure has an aggressive sexuality that marks her out as a somewhat sinister seductress. As a key figure of the Symbolist Movement in Europe, Khnopff transformed the Realist genre far beyond its descriptive powers, creating symbolic images portraying his private world, his memories and his obsessions. The philosophical underpinnings of the movement advocated a reaction against the direct imitation of Nature in favor of a return to the spiritual realm, the world of dreams, allegories and the fantastical. Khnopff's frequent depiction of women as erotically charged mythological beings represent his desire to portray mysticism, emotionalism and the loss of intellectual control - all characteristics commonly aligned with the feminine. Like his images of the fabled Sphinx and Medusa, the vampish creature of Des cheveux noirs is a sharp contrast to the traditional representation of woman as a symbol of virginal innocence, suggesting the darker side of femininity and the threat of unchecked sexual desire.