Lilith John Collier (1850-1934)

The painting Lilith depicts a nude young woman with long, flowing blonde hair enveloped by a large snake. She is standing in a lush, dark green natural setting, with foliage and grass surrounding her. The snake is coiled around her body, with its head resting on her shoulder and its tail wrapped around her legs, suggesting a complex relationship between the woman and the creature. The womans eyes are closed, and her expression is serene, almost dreamy, which contrasts with the potentially dangerous nature of the snake. The overall atmosphere is one of sensuality and an untamed, primal connection to nature.
The subtexts of this painting are rich and layered. Lilith is a figure from Jewish folklore, often depicted as the first woman created from earth, who refused to be subservient to Adam. She is associated with independence, rebellion, and sometimes with dark or demonic forces. The presence of the snake, a symbol of temptation, knowledge, and cunning, often linked to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, further deepens these interpretations.
This depiction can be seen as representing Liliths defiance and her embrace of her own power and sexuality, unbound by societal or patriarchal constraints. The snake might symbolize her deep connection to instinct, or perhaps the forbidden knowledge and power she possesses. Her closed eyes suggest an inward focus, a self-possession that doesnt require external validation. The lush, wild environment reinforces the idea of her untamed nature, a force of creation and perhaps destruction, existing outside conventional narratives. Theres an inherent sensuality in the intertwined forms of the woman and the snake, exploring themes of temptation, freedom, and the power of the feminine.