' The Cave of The Storm Nymphs ' Sir Edward Poynter . English (1836-1919) Oil on canvas , circa 1903. Private collection .

...The 'Cave of The Storm Nymphs' was painted in 1903 . It is in many ways a remarkable picture . The triangular composition ensures dynamism of the three splendidly rendered figures . The Nymphs are in varying stages of action : setting aside a seashell harp , carelessly throwing away golden coins and lying luxuriously among ship plunder .. The golden red hair of the top two figures is blown by wind and spray , the hair of the lower figure spreads wantonly about her head and purloined fabric . The sand and cave walls of their retreat are thick with water - in fact , you can feel the cool dampness and moisture just looking at the painting . Poynter uses few warm colours to enliven his work - the movement of the central figures and the storm-tossed ship provide the vitality missing in his coloration . The tempestuous green sea blows fiercely behind them , a ship reaching upwards before it is covered by the greedy , unforgiving sea. Poynter's mastery of colour and light are stunning . Though the source of light is the raging storm without , it illuminates the contours of the nymphs within . Rather than' plunge the figures in darkness , it serves to illustrate their voluptuous contours . The light also makes the shell harp incandescent , the sirens beacon for unwary sailors . The hair of the central nymph seems to glow with the light ; indeed , the hair of the central figure, and that of the nymph above , seems almost unhampered by gravity , as if they were still underwater . 'The Cave of The Storm Nymphs' makes us believe in an in an invisible world . It is a picture cool and calculating , painted by a master at the top of his form .