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John William Waterhouse And ‘The Lady Of Shalott’
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| John William Waterhouse's 1888 painting features The Lady of Shalott setting out for Camelot in her boat. |
Smart About Art
By CHERYL VAN-BUSKIRK & EMILY RICE, For The Bulletin
John William Waterhouse was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter most famous for his paintings of female characters from Greek and Arthurian mythology. The term Pre-Raphaelite refers to a writer or painter belonging to or influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a society founded in England in 1848 to advance the style and spirit of Italian painting before Raphael. The Pre-Raphaelites wished to create fresh and sincere art, free from what they considered the tired and artificial manner the successors of Raphael propagated in the academies.
Stylistically, these painters aspired to a meticulous attention to detail based on careful observation of nature, and their colors were strikingly bright, the luminous appearance achieved by painting on a pure white ground. In keeping with their contemporary Victorian society, they also sought to create art that served an educational, moralistic purpose.
The subject matter of King Arthur and his knights of Camelot was well suited to these objectives. The romantic history of this ideal King and his chivalrous coterie, dedicated to Christian virtues but surrounded by the magic and mystery of Britain’s pagan past, satisfied both their didactic and artistic purposes. One of the last productions of the Brotherhood’s followers was a series of frescos in the Oxford University Union (1857-62) depicting scenes from Arthurian legend.
Strictly speaking, the Pre-Raphaelite period lasted only a decade; Sir John Everett Millais, who has been called the most naturally gifted of the group, was gradually absorbed into the Royal Academy, and eventually became its President. Waterhouse has been referred to as “the modern Pre-Raphaelite” since he was much younger than the original group and because he incorporated techniques borrowed from the French Impressionist painters.
Waterhouse was born in the city of Rome to British painters William and Isabella Waterhouse in 1849; the same year that the members of the Brotherhood were first causing a stir in London. His early life in Italy has been cited as one of the reasons many of his later paintings were set in ancient Rome or based on scenes taken from Roman mythology. In 1854, the family returned to England and moved to South Kensington, London, located near the newly founded Victoria and Albert Museum. John, or “Nino” as he was nicknamed, was encouraged to become involved in drawing and often sketched in the British Museum and the National Gallery. He also assisted his father while developing his talents in sculpture and painting.
His early works were classical themes that were shown at local galleries, and in 1874 his painting “Sleep and His Half Brother Death” was exhibited at the Royal Academy summer exhibition. The painting was a success and he continued to exhibit annually while enjoying his growing popularity in the London art scene.
In 1895, Waterhouse was elected to the status of full Royal Academician at the Royal Academy. He taught at St. John’s Wood Art School, joined the St. John’s Wood Arts Club and served on the Royal Academy Council. One of his most famous paintings features “The Lady of Shalott”, from a Victorian ballad by the English poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Waterhouse owned a copy of the collected works of Tennyson, the pages of which are covered in sketches for future illustrations. He painted three episodes from this poem: the Lady setting out for Camelot in her boat in 1888; the Lady as she turns to look at Lancelot through her window, 1894; and “I Am Half-Sick of Shadows” in which the Lady sits wistfully before her weaving loom in 1915.
The earliest version, “The Lady of Shalott” (1888), featured here, is notable for his first serious attempt at painting in the open air to depict a typically English background realistically painted with great detail. It is elegantly illuminated by natural early evening light with close attention to the autumn leaves, the reeds at the river edge and medieval details in the tapestry. This tapestry that she has spent her life weaving trails in the water while only one of three candles remains burning on the prow of the boat. Use of direct symbolism, frank naturalism and poetic sentiment are evident in this lone candle, the Lady’s pose and dress as well as the medieval designs woven into the tapestry of her life.
The wistful young woman wears the white dress of innocence as she lets go of the chain that moors the boat and begins to float down the river. The scene represents the doomed Lady setting out on her final voyage along the river to Camelot for she has been cursed. Her duty was to watch the world outside her castle window in a mirror and to weave what she saw into a tapestry. Yet, when she saw the reflection of Sir Lancelot riding alone, she looked directly out the window at him. The mirror shattered, the tapestry flew with the wind and the Lady felt the power of her curse.
The viewer is brought into the scene by the classic division of space: foreground, middleground and background with the center of attention, the Lady in her boat, rendered in the highest degree of detail and brightest colors. The model for the painting was probably the artist’s wife which may explain how he was able to capture the despair on her face with such familiar poignancy. The tall reeds in the foreground showcase the Lady’s right hand as she is ready to drop the chain, the dark row of shorter reeds and trees beyond her boat provides a backdrop for her figure as it pulls us into the scene and the hazy distant landscape completes the illusion of depth. Many angled lines keep our attention moving around in the painting: the diagonal of the boat, the angle of the stairs behind the boat, the triangular shape of the Lady and the different angles of the designs in her clothing and tapestry. Direct, brushy marks of unblended color representing leaves floating on the water, the Lady’s flowing hair, the trees and bushes in the background show us the influence of Impressionism on Waterhouse.
Complex and busy, the work elicits an emotional response and captures an enlightened moment. Paying careful attention to Tennyson’s words, Waterhouse may have chosen to illustrate one phrase in this painting: “She loos’d the chain and down she lay”.
John William Waterhouse is one of the rare artists who became popular and financially stable while he was alive. He continued to paint until his death in 1917 after a long illness. Many of his works are in private collections or in museums all across England, Germany, Scotland and Australia.
This article draws upon factual information taken from Art Through the Ages published by Thomson Wadsworth, The American Heritage Dictionary of English Language by Houghton Mifflin Company, The Creative Impulse by Prentice Hall, Inc., The Illustrated History of Art by Chancellor Press, and Essential Pre-Raphaelites by Parragon Publishing, UK.
Stylistically, these painters aspired to a meticulous attention to detail based on careful observation of nature, and their colors were strikingly bright, the luminous appearance achieved by painting on a pure white ground. In keeping with their contemporary Victorian society, they also sought to create art that served an educational, moralistic purpose.
The subject matter of King Arthur and his knights of Camelot was well suited to these objectives. The romantic history of this ideal King and his chivalrous coterie, dedicated to Christian virtues but surrounded by the magic and mystery of Britain’s pagan past, satisfied both their didactic and artistic purposes. One of the last productions of the Brotherhood’s followers was a series of frescos in the Oxford University Union (1857-62) depicting scenes from Arthurian legend.
Strictly speaking, the Pre-Raphaelite period lasted only a decade; Sir John Everett Millais, who has been called the most naturally gifted of the group, was gradually absorbed into the Royal Academy, and eventually became its President. Waterhouse has been referred to as “the modern Pre-Raphaelite” since he was much younger than the original group and because he incorporated techniques borrowed from the French Impressionist painters.
Waterhouse was born in the city of Rome to British painters William and Isabella Waterhouse in 1849; the same year that the members of the Brotherhood were first causing a stir in London. His early life in Italy has been cited as one of the reasons many of his later paintings were set in ancient Rome or based on scenes taken from Roman mythology. In 1854, the family returned to England and moved to South Kensington, London, located near the newly founded Victoria and Albert Museum. John, or “Nino” as he was nicknamed, was encouraged to become involved in drawing and often sketched in the British Museum and the National Gallery. He also assisted his father while developing his talents in sculpture and painting.
His early works were classical themes that were shown at local galleries, and in 1874 his painting “Sleep and His Half Brother Death” was exhibited at the Royal Academy summer exhibition. The painting was a success and he continued to exhibit annually while enjoying his growing popularity in the London art scene.
In 1895, Waterhouse was elected to the status of full Royal Academician at the Royal Academy. He taught at St. John’s Wood Art School, joined the St. John’s Wood Arts Club and served on the Royal Academy Council. One of his most famous paintings features “The Lady of Shalott”, from a Victorian ballad by the English poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Waterhouse owned a copy of the collected works of Tennyson, the pages of which are covered in sketches for future illustrations. He painted three episodes from this poem: the Lady setting out for Camelot in her boat in 1888; the Lady as she turns to look at Lancelot through her window, 1894; and “I Am Half-Sick of Shadows” in which the Lady sits wistfully before her weaving loom in 1915.
The earliest version, “The Lady of Shalott” (1888), featured here, is notable for his first serious attempt at painting in the open air to depict a typically English background realistically painted with great detail. It is elegantly illuminated by natural early evening light with close attention to the autumn leaves, the reeds at the river edge and medieval details in the tapestry. This tapestry that she has spent her life weaving trails in the water while only one of three candles remains burning on the prow of the boat. Use of direct symbolism, frank naturalism and poetic sentiment are evident in this lone candle, the Lady’s pose and dress as well as the medieval designs woven into the tapestry of her life.
The wistful young woman wears the white dress of innocence as she lets go of the chain that moors the boat and begins to float down the river. The scene represents the doomed Lady setting out on her final voyage along the river to Camelot for she has been cursed. Her duty was to watch the world outside her castle window in a mirror and to weave what she saw into a tapestry. Yet, when she saw the reflection of Sir Lancelot riding alone, she looked directly out the window at him. The mirror shattered, the tapestry flew with the wind and the Lady felt the power of her curse.
The viewer is brought into the scene by the classic division of space: foreground, middleground and background with the center of attention, the Lady in her boat, rendered in the highest degree of detail and brightest colors. The model for the painting was probably the artist’s wife which may explain how he was able to capture the despair on her face with such familiar poignancy. The tall reeds in the foreground showcase the Lady’s right hand as she is ready to drop the chain, the dark row of shorter reeds and trees beyond her boat provides a backdrop for her figure as it pulls us into the scene and the hazy distant landscape completes the illusion of depth. Many angled lines keep our attention moving around in the painting: the diagonal of the boat, the angle of the stairs behind the boat, the triangular shape of the Lady and the different angles of the designs in her clothing and tapestry. Direct, brushy marks of unblended color representing leaves floating on the water, the Lady’s flowing hair, the trees and bushes in the background show us the influence of Impressionism on Waterhouse.
Complex and busy, the work elicits an emotional response and captures an enlightened moment. Paying careful attention to Tennyson’s words, Waterhouse may have chosen to illustrate one phrase in this painting: “She loos’d the chain and down she lay”.
John William Waterhouse is one of the rare artists who became popular and financially stable while he was alive. He continued to paint until his death in 1917 after a long illness. Many of his works are in private collections or in museums all across England, Germany, Scotland and Australia.
This article draws upon factual information taken from Art Through the Ages published by Thomson Wadsworth, The American Heritage Dictionary of English Language by Houghton Mifflin Company, The Creative Impulse by Prentice Hall, Inc., The Illustrated History of Art by Chancellor Press, and Essential Pre-Raphaelites by Parragon Publishing, UK.
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