John
William Waterhouse (1849-1917)
Waterhouse was born in Rome,
where his parents, both painters, lived for some years. On coming to England, Waterhouse
studied first at his father's studio, then at the Royal Academy Schools from 1870. His
early classical paintings were much influenced by Laurens Alma Tadema, and he also
produced lighter pictures of Italian life. Subsequently he began to depict more poetical
subjects, especially from Tennyson, and later, Homer. By 1891 Waterhouse had discovered a
beautiful model who features in most of his important pictures after that date. Her name
is not known. By this period his reputation was great, and his art was compared to that of
Burne-Jones and Leighton.
Waterhouse is often inaccurately called a Pre-Raphaelite artist. In fact, he belonged to
the later school of British Victorian artists nowadays often referred to as the Last
Romantics or Romantic Classicists. Waterhouse drew inspiration for his paintings from the
femme fatales of myth and literature. He had a genius for portraying the pivotal moment in
the drama along with an unerring sense of composition.
Waterhouse, half a generation later than the other classicists, continuing well into the
twentieth century, had a great influence on younger artists. Among his followers may be
put Frank Dicksee, Arthur Hacker, Herbert James Draper and Byam Shaw.
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The Magic Circle
Painted in 1886 - Oil on canvas
Tate Britain, London, England
A magic circle was cast to purify and create a perimeter of space wherein evil magic could
not enter. Goddesses and good spirits were invited into the circle, which sometimes had
powerful, protective stones placed at North, South, East, and West points. Each point was
associated with the Four Elements. North was the most powerful direction. It represented
the element of Earth, the celestial bodies revolving around the North Star, and
encompassed all secrets, darkness, and the unknown. South was the element of Fire and
therefore associated with the sun. This point signified the meeting of East and West -
intuition, insight, reason, and logic - and the channeling of the powers of intellect,
clairvoyance, and nature. East was the direction for the element of Air, symbolizing
clarity, spiritual awareness, and mysticism. West represented imagination and inspiration,
as well as emotions and reason. The circle itself was a mark of infinity and eternity.
A witch would cast a magic circle by turning clockwise, beginning at East, following the
revolution of the sun. The magic circle was drawn with either a a magic wand or an anthame
(a black-handled ceremonial dagger). A charm or spell was recited as the witch cast the
circle, asking the presence of friendly or helpful spirits to attend."
****
The Lady of Shalott
Painted in 1888 - Oil on canvas
Tate Britain, London, England
This painting is based on The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
It illustrates the lines:
And down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance -
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.
****
I am Half-Sick of Shadows, said the Lady of Shalott
Painted in 1916 - Oil on canvas
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada
This painting is based on The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
It illustrates the lines:
There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.
****
Circe Invidiosa AKA Circe Poisoning the Sea
Painted in 1892 - Oil on canvas
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Waterhouse took the subject of this painting from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Scylla, a water
nymph, was loved by Glaucus, a sea deity. She rejected his advances, and he turned for aid
to Circe, the enchantress. Circe, however, fell in love with Glaucus herself, and to
destroy Scylla, her rival, poisoned the stream where the nymph was accustomed to bathe.
When Scylla entered the water she was transformed into a hideous monster, whereupon she
threw herself into the sea which separates Italy from Sicily and was changed into the
rock, so perilous to sailors, which bears her name.
Waterhouse shows Circe pouring poison into the stream in which Scylla was accustomed to
bathe.
***
Ophelia
Painted in 1894 - Oil on canvas
Private Collection
Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, sister to Laertes, and rejected lover of Hamlet in
Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. Ophelia is a symbol of innocence gone mad. A dutiful
daughter, she is manipulated into spying on Hamlet and must bear his humiliating and
brutal remarks. She believes him to be mad, commenting sadly "O, what a noble mind is
here o'erthrown." Having lost Hamlet's affection, she herself goes mad when her
father is killed by Hamlet. Her mad scene (act IV, scene 5) is one of the best known in
Western literature. Her madness and death and Hamlet's behaviour at her graveside further
inflame Laertes to vengeance.
***
The Shrine
Painted in 1895 - Oil on canvas
Christopher Wood Gallery, London, England
***
Mariana in the South
Painted circa 1897 - Oil on canvas
Private Collection
The character Mariana in William Shakespeare's 'Measure for Measure' is the jilted lover
of Angelo, the acting governor of Vienna. Angelo abuses the powers of government invested
in him by the duke, by offering to pardon Isabella's brother, Claudio, who has been
sentenced to death for seduction, if she will sacrifice her honour to him. The duke,
disguised as a friar, learns of Angelo's terrible conduct and contrives Claudio's escape.
The ruse is for Isabella to consent to attend Angelo's house at midnight, but to send
Mariana in her place, thereby foiling Angelo's designs whilst liberating Claudio. Alfred,
Lord Tennyson, made Mariana the subject of two poems, 'Mariana' and its sequel 'Mariana in
the South', dwelling on her abject despair as she waits in the lonely moated grange for
her lover to return, while her surroundings decay around her. Her tears fall night and
morning and she cannot draw pleasure from anything in heaven or on earth. Tormented by
haunting voices from her past, she is overcome by weariness and yearns for death.
***
The Crystal Ball
Painted in 1902 - Oil on canvas
Private Collection
Art detective work has uncovered the hidden secret of a £350,000 painting after it was
"doctored" in the early 1950s. "The Crystal Ball" by John William
Waterhouse RA (1849-1917) shows a young model in a red dress gazing into the ball,
apparently weaving a spell with the aid of a book and a skull.
It was shown alongside a more spiritual picture by the artist at the Royal Academy in
1902. The study later entered the Pyman collection and eventually hung in the dining room
at Glenborrodale Castle, Highland.
The painting was sold with the castle when the property changed hands in 1952-3. But the
new owner did not like the skull and had it covered by curtains. The picture was later
sold and it will be auctioned again at Christies, London, on Friday. It came into the
auction room in its amended state.
But when Martin Beisly, head of the Victorian picture department, and his team began to
research its background they came across photographs of the original in The Art Journal,
1909. An X-ray of the picture showed the skull still there.
A pigment analysis demonstrated that the original surface was still protected with a layer
of varnish which meant the addition could be removed safely.
***
Ophelia
Painted in 1910 - Oil on canvas
Private Collection
Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, sister to Laertes, and rejected lover of Hamlet in
Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. Ophelia is a symbol of innocence gone mad. A dutiful
daughter, she is manipulated into spying on Hamlet and must bear his humiliating and
brutal remarks. She believes him to be mad, commenting sadly "O, what a noble mind is
here o'erthrown." Having lost Hamlet's affection, she herself goes mad when her
father is killed by Hamlet. Her mad scene (act IV, scene 5) is one of the best known in
Western literature. Her madness and death and Hamlet's behaviour at her graveside further
inflame Laertes to vengeance.
Text compiled by Becca from
Waterhouse websites. |
