John william waterhouse paintings. History and ethnology

John William Waterhouse was born in April 1849 in the capital of Italy. His parents were quite famous artists. When the boy grew up a little, the family decided to return to London for permanent residence, after several years in Italy.

From early childhood, John saw how his parents painted; other artists, poets and musicians often visited their house. The very atmosphere of the Eternal City also evoked special dreams associated with the beautiful sculptures, amazing fountains, majestic buildings and architectural monuments that adorned Rome, giving it a special charm and distinguishing it from many European cities. It was the totality of all the circumstances of John’s childhood that led his work to the so-called late Pre-Raphaelitism. However, it is worth noting that Waterhouse never formally belonged to this movement.

There is no doubt that the image of Rome is forever imprinted in the artist’s heart. He often painted the heroines of his paintings against the backdrop of Italian landscapes. Basically, the artist depicted female images borrowed from ancient myths, legends and some works of literature of mystical or historical content, mainly from the Renaissance. Waterhouse is considered one of the brightest representatives of this trend, which preached the cult of the Beautiful Lady or female goddess, who in many ways sought to imitate the works of the great Raphael, interpreting female images in their own way.

The boy received his first lessons in painting, composition, perspective and color combinations from his father. Art surrounded him all his life and he absorbed his love for it literally with the milk of his artist mother. Relatives and close friends often called him “Nino.”

At the age of 21, Waterhouse successfully passed exams at the prestigious British Royal Academy of Arts, where, subsequently, as in the Grosvenor Gallery, he organized many exhibitions of his works. Before entering this school, the young man helped his father in his studio. This experience was very useful to the young man. Painting and sculpture at the Academic School were taught by the artist Pickersgill.

The young man's early works, in some details of composition and imagery, resemble the paintings of the famous painter, a British artist of Dutch origin, who was the most famous and highly paid artist of the Victorian era.

Another painter who also had a significant influence on Waterhouse’s early work was, who is a prominent representative of Victorian academicism, the so-called salon art, also to some extent close to the Pre-Raphaelites.

But we emphasize that the imitation was relatively short-lived and very soon John Waterhouse developed his own style, which harmoniously combined classicism, romanticism, fantasy and reality. Some works can be classified as impressionism.

Paintings on classical themes were exhibited not only at his place of study, but also at the Society of English Artists and the Dudley Gallery and were a great success, attracting attention with romantic and dreamy subjects.

At the age of twenty-five (1874), John Waterhouse presented at the exhibition his first major work, “Sleep and His Half-Brother Death,” which, as many contemporaries noted, was met with noisy delight from all spectators. The picture earned excellent reviews from numerous critics, and the artist gained popularity. This painting was subsequently included in almost all of his exhibitions.

The painting, created based on ancient Greek mythology, depicts two young men who only recently played the pipes, and remained lying in the corner on a small round bedside table. The music apparently had a strong hypnotic effect on them and they dozed off in almost the same position in which they practiced the music. One of the young people holds in his hands bright red poppies that have not yet had time to wither. Most likely, this young man is a Dream, since even the flowers, as if lulled by the beautiful music of the pipe, just fell asleep.

The artist gave a strange name to his painting, which became his most famous – “Step Brothers.” Waterhouse spent a long time searching for the most appropriate title for his first significant work. As researchers of his work have established, he tried quite a few options in which the degree of relationship between the young men changed. Let us remind you that in the original the picture is called “Sleep and His Half Brother Death”. In the Russian translation you can find the words “native”, “half-blooded” and even “twin brother”. In some publications on foreign art the title of this painting is found as “Hypnos and Thanatos”. According to the myths of Ancient Greece, Sleep and Death are twin brothers. Their mother is the goddess of the night, Nekta, and their father is the god of darkness, Erebus, who is also their uncle.

John Waterhouse clearly lacked inspiration in Foggy Albion, and he repeatedly made trips to his beloved, unique, sunny Italy, covered in the legends and myths of Ancient Rome. Here the artist eagerly absorbed the vivid images of Italian women and the unique nature of this peninsula.

The works of this period clearly show the artist’s interest in the themes of Pre-Raphaelitism, depictions of tragic moments in the destinies of powerful women (“Circe Invidioza”, “Cleopatra”, “Circe luring Odysseus”, others), as well as in plein air painting.

However, Waterhouse painted many paintings based on English legends, including the famous King Arthur. One of these paintings is “The Lady of Shalott” (1888), which tells the story of Elaine of Estolat, who died of her love for the knight Lancelot, one of the characters in the legend of King Arthur and a character in Alfred Tennyson’s poem “The Witch of Shalott,” well-known to Russian readers. The girl is under a curse: she must spend her entire life imprisoned in one of the impregnable towers on the small island of Shalott and continuously weave tapestries. She is forbidden to look out the windows, but on the wall opposite the window hangs a mirror, which reflects everything that happens behind these blank walls. Elaine occasionally looks into the mirror and real pictures appear on her beautiful tapestries that she sees in this magic mirror. But one day in the mirror she unexpectedly sees a beautiful young man, Sir Lancelot. The recluse violates the condition and looks out of a small window. This involuntary action leads to tragedy: the mirror cracks, but the girl somehow mysteriously manages to escape. On the bank of a small river she sees a boat, climbs into it and points it in the direction where Lancelot raced on his horse. The sad melody that the girl sings becomes her “swan” farewell song and she dies.

In total, Waterhouse wrote three versions based on this poem. In the first of them, the artist depicted a girl in a boat. Her eyes are sad and directed into the unknown distance. Perhaps there awaits her great true love for the knight who flashed for a moment in the window. The white robe symbolizes purity and innocence. At the stern you can see a beautiful, not yet completely finished tapestry, part of which is in the water. The magnificent landscape, as a reminder of Italy, is rather gloomy. Departing from the Pereraphaelite traditions, the painter painted it without specifying individual details, devoting all his attention to the heroine.

Subsequently, the painter creates two more canvases on this topic. In 1894, the painting “The Lady of Shalott Looks at Lancelot” appeared, where the girl is depicted at the moment when she looks out of the window and sees a knight. Threads are wrapped around her pale fawn dress, and a cracked mirror can be seen behind her. The girl's face expresses her first feelings for what she was deprived of.

In 1911, the artist painted the third version of this story, “Shadows Are Pursuing Me.” Note that this is a completely different image, which is emphasized by her scarlet dress, unlike the previous options. Here we see not a naive girl, but a sensual Lady. A small cozy room is illuminated by the bright rays of the sun. The heroine's pose is more reminiscent of a bored young lady who will not languish locked up for a long time, but will succumb to the temptation to look at the real, rather than imaginary, world. Perhaps his wife posed for him for this picture.

In 1883, John Waterhouse's wife became the artist Esther Kenworthy, who also gained fame; her paintings were often exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts. The family had two children. Unfortunately, they died at an early age. But the marriage of two creative people, despite this difficult loss, can be called happy. In 1885, John Waterhouse was elected a member of the Royal Academy, and 10 years later he became an academician.

Another favorite heroine of the artist is Ophelia. In 1889, the painter depicts her in a meadow, surrounded by grass and dim wildflowers. Almost the entire space of the picture is occupied by the image of a slender girl. It is clear that the author admires his heroine. On the canvas from 1894 - Ophelia sits thoughtfully on the shore of the lake. In 1910, Waterhouse depicts a girl near a small river. She holds on to the tree, and is already psychologically ready to take the fatal step. At this time he created many portraits of famous people.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, Waterhouse has been actively involved in many public organizations of artists in Great Britain.

During his life, Waterhouse created more than 200 paintings. His works have been at numerous exhibitions in England and around the world, as part of the Symbolist movement, and have been a resounding success everywhere. They were admired not only by adherents of symbolism or pre-Raphaelitism, but also by ordinary spectators. There is something in these paintings that cannot leave a person indifferent, even for the first time acquainted with the work of the famous English painter. Everyone will find in them something close to their worldview and will read the plot in their own way. Perhaps this is the great power of real art.

His portraits of women have gained immense popularity in almost all countries of the world and are valued not only as works of art, but are also purchased by collectors as a profitable investment. The painter was able to convey the drama of the situation with great realism and demonstrate excellent mastery of compositional techniques and the technique of a great master. But, nevertheless, according to many critics, he gained his popularity thanks to the wondrous charm of his models.

If we look closely at the artist’s numerous paintings, we will notice that the heroines of his work were often not just women from myths and legends, but rather powerful women with a tragic fate.

It is these circumstances that force Waterhouse to choose the brightest images from his subconscious.

Unfortunately, very little is known about his personal life - only a few letters have survived. Even his models, who posed for him while creating his paintings, have long been an insoluble mystery for researchers of his work.

On some canvases, features of the same model are clearly visible. Not long ago, researchers of the work of this great artist identified her personality. This is Miss Muriel Foster, who was written as Miranda, Isolde, Psyche and several others. Mary Lloyd also posed for the artist, whose image can be seen on Lord Leighton’s masterpiece “Burning June.”

Despite severe pain due to a serious illness, the artist, for the last decade of his life, was still actively engaged in painting. He did not let go of the brushes until the very last hour.

John Waterhouse died of cancer in February 1917 and was buried in London at Kensal Green Cemetery.

In 1992, his image appeared on a UK postage stamp.

Esther Waterhouse survived her husband by 27 years and died in 1944.

These days, John Waterhouse is one of the most expensive artists not only in Britain, but throughout the world. For example, in 2006, the painting “Saint Cecilia” was sold at Christie’s for £6.6 million to the Webber Foundation.

) is an English artist whose work is attributed to the later stage of Pre-Raphaelitism. Known for his female images, which he borrowed from mythology and literature.

Life

Born in Rome, into a family of artists. They later moved to London, where Waterhouse lived for the rest of his life. At first he was taught painting by his father, and in 1870 the young man entered the Royal Academy of Arts.

The artist's early works show the influence of Alma-Tadema and Frederic Leighton. In 1874, at the age of twenty-five, he presented at an exhibition the painting “ Sleep and his half-brother Death”, which was well received by critics and was subsequently exhibited almost every year until the artist’s death.

In 1883, Waterhouse married the artist Esther Kenworthy, whose paintings also appeared in exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts. They had two children who died early, but despite this, the marriage was happy.

Featured on a 1992 British postage stamp.

Models for works of art

However, the artist owes his enduring popularity most of all to the charm of his brooding models. It is believed that when painting “The Lady of Shalott” the model was the artist’s wife.

In 1908-1914, Waterhouse created a number of paintings based on literary and mythological subjects ("Miranda", "Tristan and Isolde", "Psyche", "Persephone" and others). In these paintings the artist paints his favorite model, recently identified by Waterhouse scholars Ken and Kathy Baker as Miss Muriel Foster. Very little is known about Waterhouse's private life - only a few letters have survived to this day and, in fact, for many years the personalities of his models remained a secret. From the memoirs of contemporaries it is also known that Mary Lloyd, the model for Lord Leighton's masterpiece "Burning June", also posed for Waterhouse.

Creation

One of Waterhouse’s most famous paintings is “The Lady of Shalott,” dedicated to Elaine of Astolat (aka the Lily Maid) - a girl who died of unrequited love for the knight Lancelot, a character from the legends of King Arthur and the heroine of Tennyson’s poem “The Witch of Shalott.” Waterhouse created three versions of the painting: in 1888, 1896 and 1916.

Some works

• "Questioning the Oracle", 1884 (Tate Gallery, London)
• "The Magic Circle", 1886 (Tate Gallery, London)
• "The Lady of Shalott", 1888 (Tate Gallery, London)
• "Ophelia", 1889, 1894, 1910
• "Ulysses and the Sirens", 1891 (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne)
• « Circe offers the cup to Ulysses", 1891
• "La Belle Dame sans Merci", 1893
• « Siren", OK. 1900
• « crystal ball", 1902
• « Boreas", 1903
• "Narcissus and Echo", 1903
• "Miranda - "The Tempest", 1916

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Excerpt characterizing Waterhouse, John William

Pierre, unconscious from fear, jumped up and ran back to the battery, as the only refuge from all the horrors that surrounded him.
While Pierre was entering the trench, he noticed that no shots were heard at the battery, but some people were doing something there. Pierre did not have time to understand what kind of people they were. He saw the senior colonel lying with his back to him on the rampart, as if examining something below, and he saw one soldier he noticed, who, breaking forward from the people holding his hand, shouted: “Brothers!” – and saw something else strange.
But he had not yet had time to realize that the colonel had been killed, that the one shouting “brothers!” There was a prisoner who, in front of his eyes, was bayoneted in the back by another soldier. As soon as he ran into the trench, a thin, yellow, sweaty-faced man in a blue uniform, with a sword in his hand, ran at him, shouting something. Pierre, instinctively defending himself from the push, since they, without seeing, ran away from each other, put out his hands and grabbed this man (it was a French officer) with one hand by the shoulder, with the other by the proud. The officer, releasing his sword, grabbed Pierre by the collar.
For several seconds, they both looked with frightened eyes at faces alien to each other, and both were at a loss about what they had done and what they should do. “Am I taken prisoner or is he taken prisoner by me? - thought each of them. But, obviously, the French officer was more inclined to think that he had been taken prisoner, because Pierre’s strong hand, driven by involuntary fear, squeezed his throat tighter and tighter. The Frenchman wanted to say something, when suddenly a cannonball whistled low and terribly above their heads, and it seemed to Pierre that the French officer’s head had been torn off: he bent it so quickly.
Pierre also bowed his head and let go of his hands. Without thinking any more about who took whom prisoner, the Frenchman ran back to the battery, and Pierre went downhill, stumbling over the dead and wounded, who seemed to him to be catching his legs. But before he had time to go down, dense crowds of fleeing Russian soldiers appeared towards him, who, falling, stumbling and screaming, ran joyfully and violently towards the battery. (This was the attack that Ermolov attributed to himself, saying that only his courage and happiness could have accomplished this feat, and the attack in which he allegedly threw the St. George crosses that were in his pocket onto the mound.)
The French who occupied the battery ran. Our troops, shouting “Hurray,” drove the French so far behind the battery that it was difficult to stop them.
Prisoners were taken from the battery, including a wounded French general, who was surrounded by officers. Crowds of wounded, familiar and unfamiliar to Pierre, Russians and French, with faces disfigured by suffering, walked, crawled and rushed from the battery on stretchers. Pierre entered the mound, where he spent more than an hour, and from the family circle that accepted him, he did not find anyone. There were many dead here, unknown to him. But he recognized some. The young officer sat, still curled up, at the edge of the shaft, in a pool of blood. The red-faced soldier was still twitching, but they did not remove him.

"The Lady of Shalott" by John William Waterhouse.

"Ariadne".

He was born in northern Italy into a family of famous artists and lived the first years of his life in this beautiful sunny country. Waterhouse's early works are filled with nostalgia for Italy - markets, ruins, Italian courtyards...

Subsequently, he often painted his heroines against the backdrop of Italian landscapes, dressed them in thin antique dresses, and embodied in his canvases the images of the gentle Psyche and the insidious Circe - the heroines of ancient mythology. Subsequently, Waterhouse often returned to these places to soak up their life-giving air.

From childhood, John witnessed the creative life of Roman artists and poets who visited his parents, and spent long hours in his father’s studio, where he received his first painting lessons. The atmosphere of Rome was conducive to practicing art. Young John grew up surrounded by majestic sculptures and paintings by great artists. We can say that he had no choice but to follow in the footsteps of his parents and devote his whole life to art.

Despite the charm of Rome, the family decided to return to England. At twenty-one, John entered the Royal Academy of Arts, where he was not noticed either in riots or in a special craving for experimentation. His training was smooth, but quite successful, and over the years the Academy more than once provided him with the opportunity to exhibit works within its walls.

At the time, the highest paid artist in Britain was Lawrence Alma-Tadema, who depicted the daily life of ancient Rome - mostly beautiful young women in light clothes, indulging in the bliss of skins and scattered rose petals. Some of Alma-Tadema’s works are dedicated to the ancient poetess Sappho and are filled with hidden eroticism, but the prim Victorian public accepted each of his canvases with constant delight. Waterhouse's first works are a clear imitation of Alma-Tadema. His other “teacher” is the Pre-Raphaelite Frederic Leighton, whose works are related to chivalry, the cult of the Belle Lady and British history.

However, Waterhouse quickly developed his own style, relying not only on academicism, but also on the creative style of the impressionists - he did not strive for ideal smoothness of the image, often using broad, rough strokes to convey movement.

"Lady of Shalott" (left), "My Sweet Rose"

One of his most famous paintings was “The Lady of Shalott,” based on the legend of the Arthurian cycle. A pale red-haired girl floats along an overgrown river in an old boat, her face is full of suffering, and the landscape is permeated with anxiety.

Biographers do not know a single juicy story from Waterhouse’s life; he was not involved in scandals or intrigues.

Unlike most Pre-Raphaelites, he did not get involved in dubious stories with models - he invited several women to pose, and they all noted his politeness and correctness. He never flirted with the women he wrote and treated them with deep respect.

Anyone who has even a cursory glance at Waterhouse's work will notice that he often painted a slender red-haired girl with a thin profile, reminiscent of the Pre-Raphaelite muse Lizzie Siddal. Her name is known - Muriel Foster, but her biography remains a mystery.

Despite the many works and sketches that show Waterhouse's obvious admiration for Miss Foster's beauty, this passion was purely artistic and aesthetic. Another woman owned John Waterhouse's heart.

Woman with Roses" (left), sketch for the painting Ophelia (right).

In 1883 he married the successful artist Esther Kenworthy. Their marriage was strong and happy, but was marred by the loss of two children at an early age.
Many researchers are looking for the appearance of Esther in Waterhouse's works, but opinions differ - some believe that she is depicted as the Lady of Shalott, others argue that Waterhouse never painted his wife in romantic images.

Waterhouse's favorite heroines are Lady of Shalott, Ophelia, Circe, Psyche.

He was interested in the fates of strong, powerful, vibrant women.

In Waterhouse’s works, women are not abstract images captured “for beauty”; they are not flirtatious, sometimes innocent, and sometimes stern.

The “beautiful merciless lady” seducing the knight looks more like an evil witch who has lured the unfortunate man into her net.

The combination of cruelty and innocence, strength of personality, fatalism and mystery distinguish Waterhouse's heroines. There is also the influence of his wife - a bright, extraordinary woman who achieved significant success in a field that at the turn of the century was still predominantly male.

Waterhouse wrote more than two hundred works, which received the approval of both members of the Academy and the unenlightened public. Critics noted that Waterhouse, of course, owed his success to the beauty of his models.

However, art critics note his ideal composition, subtle work with color, and ability to focus on the inner world of the depicted woman. He never wrote “beautifully”, decoratively, sincerely admiring and admiring the beauty of nature, wildflowers and thickets of reeds. He preferred to paint flowers and landscapes from nature.

In the last years of his life, the artist suffered from a serious cancer, from which he died at the age of sixty-seven, without stopping to create as long as possible. Esther survived him by twenty-seven years.

Today, Waterhouse's work still delights audiences, and his contribution to the development of art in Great Britain is considered invaluable.

In 1992, his image appeared on a British postage stamp. Collectors are willing to pay any price to get one of his works - for example, "Saint Cecilia" was sold for six million pounds sterling to the Webber Foundation. Many young artists and photographers, our contemporaries, are inspired by the paintings of John Waterhouse - and interest in the work of this mysterious artist is only growing.

Continuing the theme, a story about who they were - the red-haired muses of the Pre-Raphaelite artists

John William Waterhouse is an English artist, one of the most prominent representatives of the Pre-Raphaelites.

Years of life: 1849 - 1917 John was born in Rome into a family of artists, so his very origin obliged him to become a famous painter. Since childhood, he lived among paintings, paints, canvases, easels, etc., and one might say that he imbibed the love of art with his mother’s milk. In 1870 his family moved to London, where John William Waterhouse enters the Royal Academy of Arts. Probably one of the artist’s most famous paintings was “Sleep and his half-brother Death,” which was exhibited every year throughout his life. An equally famous painting is “ Lady of Shalott", which is dedicated to the Lily Maiden from the legend of King Arthur, who died of unrequited love for Lancelot. There are three versions of the painting, which John William Waterhouse painted over the years.

"The Lady of Shalott"

"My favorite roses"

"Psyche Entering Cupid's Garden"

"Borey"