The viewer sees Miss Van’s women as independent, fearless, almost bold, in their nudity and the primitivism of the costumes, reminding us of the Caribbean atmospheres of Paul Gauguin’s exotic women.

Characterised by soft curves, porcelain skin, and long cascading hair over sinuous bodies, the women portrayed in the Moonlight Pale Muses series speak of Miss Van’s battle against the status quo. The artist asserts a strong sense of emancipation, accepting one’s own body, and challenging the establishment. While the iconography of Miss Van’s muses reminds us of the Pictorialism of the young Pietro da Cortona,

especially his cycle of Santa Bibiana, they are also able recall the more recent, violent fights for women’s rights, with a strong reference to the art of Frida Kahlo and Tamara De Lempicka.