Thread by @RobertBohan

Thread: John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) was a late English follower of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. His romantic vision remains popular today & is amongst the finest Late Victorian art. Lady of Shalott (1888) is perhaps his most famous work.

Born in Rome to English painter parents he enrolled in the RA (1871)& exhibited at their annual shows. His interest was in Arthurian & Classical mythology. Undine (1872), Gone but Not Forgotten (1873) & The Unwelcome Companion (1873)

Here’s an overview of my original ink drawings. Each is A3 in size & is inspired by the natural & subconscious worlds. As part of my Affordable Art Project they are reduced from my gallery price of €700 to just €149 each. Ships worldwide

https://twitter.com/robertbohan/status/1324421653242220555

Initially he painted in the Neoclassical style. He exhibited at the RA from 1874-1916. His aesthetically pleasing work & romantic approach met with great success. After the Dance (1876), Sick Child (1877) & Remorse of Nero (1878)

Donce Far Niente (1879), Flower Stall (1880), The Household Gods (1880) & Diogenes (1882). The influence of Alma-Tadema, Leighton & Moore is seen in these works

These large paintings were designed for exhibit at the RA & would have involved much preparation & Study. Esther was his wife. They married in 1883. The Favourites of Emperor Honorius (1883), Consulting the Oracle (1884) & Esther Waterhouse (c1885)

His paintings were very fashionable & might be considered High Victorian art in their interest in Empire & Classical allusion. St Eulalia (1885), Resting (c1886), The Magic Circle (1886) & Cleopatra (c1887)

By the late 1880s he switched to a consciously PRB style & the Lady of Shalott was an incredibly popular work at the time & remains so to our day. Mariame Leaving The Judgement Seat of Herod (1887), the Lady of Shalott (1888), Ophelia (1889)

A feature of Waterhouse’s work is that the female figures all have a close resemblance to each other. The Toilet (At Capri), 1889, Two Little Italian Girls (c1889), Circe (1891). They lack the sensual voluptuousness of Rossetti.

Storytelling, emotion & authenticity all take a back seat to his concern for aestheticism. The subject matter is an excuse for creating fairy tale beauty. Ulysses & the Sirens (1891), Mermaid (1892-1900), Circe (1892), Merman (c1892)

His landscapes are pure PRB & have a mystical romantic quality against which he placed his ideal girl & ideal man. A Hamadryad (1893), A Naiad (1893) & Study for La Belle Dame sans Merci (c1893)

We should probably think of Waterhouse’s art as mood music. Its point is it’s beauty - no more, no less. And it is ravishing. Ophelia (1894), The Lady of Shalott (1894) & Phyllis Waterlow (1895)

Waterhouse was elected to the RA (1895). St Cecilia (1895), Head of a Girl (c1895) & Hylas & the Nymphs (1896). The latter is one of his most famous works & its popularity is remarkable. Pencil cases, posters, t-shirts, mugs & tea trays celebrate the work

He later taught at St John’s Wood Art School. Mariana in the South (1897), Ariadne (1898), Awakening of Adonis (1899) & Destiny (1900). Unlike Simeon Solomon he did not explore his sexuality thru paint & his images seek beauty rather than truth.

Waterhouse was a gifted draughtsman as can be seen from the marvellous drawings that survive. Study for the Lady Clare (1900), The Flower Picker (1900), the Siren (c1900) & Windflowers (1902)

One of his most beautiful works is Boreas. It’s clear he had studied the draperies of Renaissance Venetian art. Boreas (1903), Echo & Narcissus (1903) & Study for Lamia (c1904-5)

It’s interesting that his relatively rare male figures are more sensual than his female ones. Was this the reason his figures are so loathe to express authentic emotion? Head of a Girl (c1905), Lamia (1905)& Apollo & Daphne (1908)

His mature images of women tend to be individual unlike his earlier female subjects. Even so they lack intensity & appear as actors playing parts. Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May (1908), Soul of the Rose (1908), The Listener (1909)

Ophelia was a popular subject for the PRB & Waterhouse painted the doomed maiden at least three times - each stunning. Ophelia (1910), Sketch of Circe (c1911-14), The Charmer (1911) & A Song of Springtime (1913)

One of my favourite pictures by him is of the Mystic Wood where he captured a twilight forest exquisitely. The Mystic Wood (1914-17), Flower Study (1915-16) & I Am Half Sick of Shadows, Said the Lady of Shalott (1915)

Waterhouse followed the dictum of art for art’s sake & his ability & mood setting make one yearn for him to have approached subject matter that was authentic (like Klimt or Schiele, for instance). A Tale from the Decameron (1916), Miranda (1916) & Tristan & Isolde (1916)

Waterhouse was an excellent artist who painted exquisite images & should probably been seen as as belonging to the ‘aesthetic’ School. His paramount interest was aesthetic beauty & he achieved that. The Enchanted Garden (1916-17)

Waterhouse falls into the category of a beloved artist who ranks with many as their favourite painter. However, unlike Schiele or Van Gogh, he did not approach his subject matter with authentic emotion. It would be interesting to know why that was

Here’s more on my artwork for sale. Take a look!

https://twitter.com/robertbohan/status/1324000229750935554