One of the more intriguing tropes in late-19th-century art involves depictions of gorgeous women who, while visibly full-figured (in keeping with the timeless ideal of plus-size beauty), appear to be floating in the air, hovering above the ground as if they possessed the power of flight. The women in such paintings are often characterized as nymphs, faeries, or other supernatural beings, or constitute allegorical embodiments of themes and ideas. In contrast to the withered limbs of the dessicated tree, the lady's facial features are softly rounded, her arms are full, and her figure is ripe and voluptuous. She particularly exhibits a generous bust, from which the ghostly head of a dead infant attempts to derive nourishment. Other trees in the distance appear to have ensnared similar victims. The presence of the phantom infant, along with the title of the work, suggest that the woman represents a mother who has killed her potential offspring. The painting could symbolize the metaphysical or psychological purgatory that awaits such evil mothers, or it could depict the guilt-induced nightmares that such women suffer for their cruel deeds. (http://www.judgmentofparis.com/board/showthread.php?t=2318) The celebrated painting The Evil Mothers (1894), by the Symbolist artist Giovanni Segantini, is a prime example of this trope. An eerie mixture of beautiful and frightening elements, it shows a floating woman (note the absence of footprints in the snow) who has been caught in the limbs of a tree, her tresses in particular having become tangled in the branches. Between the years 1891-96, Giovanni Segantini painted a series of paintings dealing with the subject of mothers who reject their natural destiny -- motherhood, either by refusing to conceive or through performing abortions. Most of the references see the paintings as an expression to the Decadent atmosphere of the femme fatale image of a sexual-motivated, free and voracious woman. It is already known, from Segantini's letters, that he was inspired by Luigi Illica's poem "Nirvana." ...Similar to the previous picture, the snowy landscape here contains feminine figures tied up to the tree branches as well. But whereas a bright blue color characterize the earlier image [The Punishment of Lust], the second one is characterized by the color of white snow. In his diaries, which recorded his thoughts on art and aesthetics, Segantini stated that while the neutral white snowy color symbolizes death, the color came to symbolize life. Thus in addition to the naturalistic character of the work and its focus on Engadina's scenery, the colorful description of the snow landscape and the blossoming tree corresponding to the poem's comparison between landscape and woman, according to which the barren woman who surrenders to her natural instincts and becomes a mother appears as a bare winter tree sprouting leaves when it's spring. One can therefore conclude that the tree which is a recurring and important theme in the poem and in the series of paintings of the Evil Mothers, becomes the Tree of Life. Observing the woman's face reveals that, despite the tension in her tilted back body, her face is completely relaxed, free of pain and suffering. Thus it can be concluded that the term "Nirvana" does not refer only to the landscape, but rather defines the state of the woman herself, who, fulfilling her destiny as a mother, had stopped suffering and has reached the state of Nirvana. (Excerpt from http://www.ourboox.com/books/a-new-look-at-segantinis-the-evil-mothers-series/)