John William Waterhouse (baptised 6 April 184910 February 1917) was an English painter known for working first in the Academic style and for then embracing the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. His paintings are known for their depictions of women from both ancient

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

and Arthurian legend. A high proportion depict a single young and beautiful woman in a historical costume and setting, though there are some ventures into Orientalist painting and

genre painting Genre painting (or petit genre) is the painting of genre art, which depicts aspects of everyday life by portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities. One common definition of a genre scene is that it shows figures to whom no identity ca ...

, still mostly featuring women. Born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to English parents who were both painters, Waterhouse later moved to London, where he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Art Schools. He soon began exhibiting at their annual summer exhibitions, focusing on the creation of large

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...

works depicting scenes from the daily life and mythology of

ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

. Many of his paintings are based on authors such as

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's ...

, or Keats. Waterhouse's work is displayed in many major art museums and galleries, and the Royal Academy of Art organised a major retrospective of his work in 2009.

Biography

Early life

Waterhouse was born in the city of Rome to the English painters William and Isabella Waterhouse in 1849, in the same year that the members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, including

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

, John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt, were first causing a stir in the London art scene. The exact date of his birth is unknown, though he was

baptised Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

on 6 April, and the later scholar of Waterhouse's work, Peter Trippi, believed that he was born between 1 and 23 January. His early life in Italy has been cited as one of the reasons many of his later paintings were set in

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

or based upon scenes taken from

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...

. In 1854, the Waterhouses returned to England and moved to a newly built house in South Kensington, London, which was near to the newly founded

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

. Waterhouse, or 'Nino' as he was nicknamed, coming from an artistic family, was encouraged to become involved in drawing, and often sketched artworks that he found in the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

and the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

. In 1871, he entered the Royal Academy of Art school, initially to study sculpture, before moving on to painting.

Early career

Waterhouse's early works were not Pre-Raphaelite in nature, but were of classical themes in the spirit of Alma-Tadema and Frederic Leighton. These early works were exhibited at the Dudley Gallery, and the Society of British Artists, and in 1874 his painting '' Sleep and his Half-brother Death'' was exhibited at the

Royal Academy summer exhibition The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sc ...

.Trippi, Peter; Prettejohn, Elizabeth; Upstone, Robert. ''J.M. Waterhouse: The Modern Pre-Raphaelite'' Gallery Guide. The Royal Academy of Art. 2009. The painting was a success and Waterhouse would exhibit at the annual exhibition every year until 1916, with the exception of 1890 and 1915. He then went from strength to strength in the London art scene, his 1876 piece ''After the Dance'' being given the prime position in that year's summer exhibition. Perhaps due to his success, his paintings typically became larger.

Later career

In 1883, Waterhouse married Esther Kenworthy, the daughter of an art schoolmaster from

Ealing Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...

who had exhibited her own flower-paintings at the Royal Academy and elsewhere. In 1895 Waterhouse was elected to the status of full Academician. He taught at the St. John's Wood Art School, joined the St John's Wood Arts Club, and served on the Royal Academy Council. One of Waterhouse's best known subjects is '' The Lady of Shalott'', a study of Elaine of Astolat as depicted in the 1832 poem by

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

, who dies of a mysterious curse after looking directly at the beautiful

Lancelot Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), alternatively written as Launcelot and other variants, is a popular character in the Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend's chivalric romance tradition. He is typically depicted as King Arthu ...

. He actually painted three different versions of this character, in 1888, 1894, and 1916. Another of Waterhouse's favorite subjects was Ophelia; the most familiar of his paintings of Ophelia depicts her just before her death, putting flowers in her hair as she sits on a tree branch leaning over a lake. Like ''The Lady of Shalott'' and other Waterhouse paintings, it deals with a woman dying in or near water. He may also have been inspired by paintings of Ophelia by

and John Everett Millais. John William Waterhouse - Gossip

He submitted his 1888 ''Ophelia'' painting in order to receive his diploma from the Royal Academy. (He had originally wanted to submit a painting titled '' A Mermaid'', but it was not completed in time.) After this, the painting was lost until the 20th century. It is now displayed in the collection of Lord Lloyd-Webber. Waterhouse would paint Ophelia again in 1894 and 1909 or 1910, and he planned another painting in the series, called ''Ophelia in the Churchyard''. Waterhouse could not finish the series of Ophelia paintings because he was gravely ill with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

by 1915. He died two years later, and his grave can be found at Kensal Green Cemetery in London.''J.W. Waterhouse and the Magic of Color''
/ref>

Gallery

In total, he produced 118 paintings. See List of paintings by John William Waterhouse for an almost complete list.

1870s

File:Ondine (Waterhouse).jpg, '' Undine''
1872 File:Gone But Not Forgotten - John William Waterhouse.jpg, ''Gone, But Not Forgotten''
1873 File:John William Waterhouse- The Unwelcome Companion - a Street Scene in Cairo.JPG, '' The Unwelcome Companion: A Street Scene in Cairo''
1873 File:John William Waterhouse, La Fileuse.jpg, ''La Fileuse''
1874 File:Peristyle.jpg, ''In the Peristyle''
1874 File:Miranda - John William Waterhouse.jpg, ''Miranda''
1875 File:John William Waterhouse-After the Dance-1876.jpg, ''After the Dance''
1876 File:John William Waterhouse - A Sick Child brought into the Temple of Aesculapius (1877).jpg, ''A Sick Child brought into the Temple of Aesculapius''
1877 File:John William Waterhouse, The Remorse of Nero After the Murder of His Mother.jpg, ''The Remorse of the Emperor Nero after the Murder of his Mother''
1878

1880s

Image:John William Waterhouse - Dolce Far Niente (1880).jpg, ''Dolce far Niente''
1880 Image:Waterhouse-Diogenes.jpg, ''

Diogenes Diogenes the Cynic, also known as Diogenes of Sinope (c. 413/403–c. 324/321 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynicism (philosophy), Cynicism. Renowned for his ascetic lifestyle, biting wit, and radical critique ...

''
1882 Image:John Williams Waterhouse - The Favourites of the Emperor Honorius (1883).jpg, '' The Favourites of the Emperor Honorius''
1883 File:John William Waterhouse - Consulting the Oracle - Christie's.jpg, '' Consulting the Oracle''
1884 Image:John William Waterhouse - Saint Eulalia - 1885.jpg, '' Saint Eulalia''
1885 Image:John William Waterhouse - Magic Circle.JPG, '' The Magic Circle''
1886 Image:John William Waterhouse-Mariamne Leaving the Judgement Seat of Herod-1887.jpg, ''Mariamne Leaving the Judgement Seat of Herod''
1887 Image:John William Waterhouse - The Lady of Shalott - Google Art Project edit.jpg, '' The Lady of Shalott''
1888 Image:Cleopatra - John William Waterhouse.jpg, ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

''
1888 Image:JWW Ophelia 1889.jpg, ''Ophelia''
1889

1890s

File:A Roman Offering - JWW.jpg, ''A Roman Offering''
1890 File:Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus.jpg, '' Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses''
1891 File:WATERHOUSE - Ulises y las Sirenas (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1891. Óleo sobre lienzo, 100.6 x 202 cm).jpg, '' Ulysses and the Sirens''
1891 File:John_William_Waterhouse_Danaë.jpg, '' Danaë''
1892 File:Circe Invidiosa - John William Waterhouse.jpg, '' Circe Invidiosa''
1892 File:John William Waterhouse-Gathering Summer Flowers in a Devonshire Garden-1893.jpg, ''Gathering Summer Flowers in a Devonshire Garden''
1892-1893 File:A Naiad or Hylas with a Nymph by John William Waterhouse (1893).jpg, ''A

Naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; ), sometimes also hydriads, are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who embodied ...

'' or '' Hylas with a Nymph''
1893 File:John William Waterhouse - La Belle Dame sans Merci (1893).jpg, '' La Belle Dame sans Merci''
1893 File:A Female Study - John William Waterhouse.jpg, ''A Female Study''
1894 File:The Lady of Shalott Looking at Lancelot.jpg, '' The Lady of Shalott Looking at Lancelot''
1894 File:Ophelia 1894.jpg, '' Ophelia''
1894 File:John William Waterhouse - The Shrine.JPG, ''The Shrine''
1895 File:Waterhouse stcecilia.jpg, ''

Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia (), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the ...

''
1895 File:Waterhouse Hylas and the Nymphs Manchester Art Gallery 1896.15.jpg, ''Hylas and the Nymphs''
1896 File:John William Waterhouse - Pandora, 1896.jpg, '' Pandora''
1896 File:John William Waterhouse - Juliet.jpg, '' Juliet''
1898 File:John William Waterhouse Ariadne.jpg, '' Ariadne''
1898

1900s

File:John William Waterhouse-The Siren-1900.jpg, '' The Siren''
1900 File:John william waterhouse destiny.jpg, ''Destiny''
1900 File:The Lady Clare.jpg, ''The Lady Clare''
1900 File:John William Waterhouse, Study for Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus.png, ''Study for Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus''
1900 File:Nymphs finding the Head of Orpheus.jpg, ''Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus''
1900 File:John William Waterhouse A Mermaid.jpg, '' A Mermaid''
1901 File:John William Waterhouse - The Crystal Ball.JPG, '' The Crystal Ball''
1902 File:John William Waterhouse - The Missal.JPG, ''The Missal''
1902 File:Windswept by John William Waterhouse.jpg, ''Windflowers''
1902 File:John William Waterhouse - Boreas (1903).jpg, '' Boreas''
1903 File:John William Waterhouse - Echo and Narcissus - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Echo and Narcissus''
1903 File:Psyche-Waterhouse.jpg, ''Psyche Opening the Golden Box''
1903 File:Psyche Opening the Door into Cupid's Garden.jpg, ''Psyche Opening the Door into Cupid's Garden''
1904 File:Lamia and the Soldier.jpg, '' Lamia''
(version 1)
1905 File:The Danaides by John William Waterhouse - John William Waterhouse - ABDAG003402.jpg, ''The Danaides,'' 1906 File:Jason and Medea - John William Waterhouse.jpg, '' Jason and Medea''
1907 File:John william waterhouse isabella and the pot of basil.jpg, ''Isabella and the pot of basil''
1907 File:The Bouquet (study).jpg, ''The Bouquet''
(a study)
1908 File:Gather Ye Rosebuds - Ophelia.jpg, ''Gather Ye Rosebuds'' or ''Ophelia'' (a study)
File:Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May.jpg, '' Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May…''
1908 File:John William Waterhouse - The Soul of the Rose, aka My Sweet Rose.JPG, ''The Soul of the Rose'' or ''My Sweet Rose''
1908 File:Waterhouse-gather ye rosebuds-1909.jpg, '' Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May''
1909 File:Lamia Waterhouse.jpg, ''Lamia''
(version 2)
1909 File:John William Waterhouse - Thisbe, 1909.jpg, ''Thisbe''
1909

1910s

File:Ophelia 1910.jpg, ''Ophelia''
1910 File:John William Waterhouse - Spring Spreads One Green Lap of Flowers.JPG, ''Spring Spreads One Green Lap of Flowers''
1910 File:Waterhouse - The Charmer.jpg, ''The Charmer''
1911 File:Waterhouse, JW - The Sorceress (1913).jpg, '' The Sorceress''
-1915 File:JohnWilliamWaterhouse-PenelopeandtheSuitors(1912).jpg, ''Penelope and the Suitors''
1912 File:John William Waterhouse - The Annunciation.JPG, ''The Annunciation''
1914 File:John William Waterhouse - Dante and Matilda.jpg, ''Dante and Matilda'' (study) (formerly called "''Dante and Beatrice''")
File:John William Waterhouse - Matilda (formerly called "Beatrice").jpg, ''Matilda'' (study) (formerly called "''Beatrice''")
File:John William Waterhouse - I am half-sick of shadows, said the lady of shalott.JPG, '' I am Half-Sick of Shadows, said the Lady of Shalott''
1916 File:1916-a-tale-from-the-decameron-.jpg, ''A Tale from the Decameron''
1916 File:Miranda - The Tempest JWW.jpg, '' Miranda (The Tempest)''
1916 File:John william waterhouse tristan and isolde with the potion.jpg, ''Tristan and Isolde''
1916

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

John William Waterhouse.net

John William Waterhouse (The Art and Life of JW Waterhouse)
;
John William Waterhouse (Comprehensive Painting Gallery)

John William Waterhouse (1849–1917)

John William Waterhouse Style and Technique

Waterhouse at Tate Britain

''Echo and Narcissus'' (1903)

* * * * * * ttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8041010/john-william-waterhouse Findagrave burial record {{DEFAULTSORT:Waterhouse, John William 1849 births 1917 deaths 19th-century English painters 20th-century English painters Italian emigrants to the United Kingdom Artists' Rifles soldiers Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery English male painters Neo-Pompeian painters English Orientalist painters 01 Painters from London People of the Victorian era Pre-Raphaelite painters Royal Academicians Members of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists