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Thread: John William Waterhouse

  1. #1

    Default John William Waterhouse


    My sweet rose
    John William Waterhouse; known as nino in his younger years was among the most popular artists of the Victorian age, famous for his paintings emphasizing female beauty with themes from Roman mythology to English literature femme-fatales. Classified as a Pre-Raphaelite/Neo-Classic painter, Waterhouse painted a staggering number of more than two hundred paintings using Italian sceneries reflecting his love for his birthplace. His depictions of femininity reflect the ambivalent complex views towards woman in the Victorian era; he combined ideals of sentiment, duty, erotic desire, and misogyny.

    Miranda the tempest
    Born in Rome to William and Isabella Waterhouse, both of who were painters. At the age of five his family decided to return to England. Waterhouse began to develop his painting abilities by helping his father in his studio and in 1870 he entered the prestigious Royal Academy. The Royal Academy, the Society of British Artists and the Dudley Gallery exhibited his early works, which dealt with classical Greco-Roman themes. 1874, when he was twenty-five Waterhouse submitted his famous Sleep and his half-brother Dead to the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition.

    Through the later 1870s and 1880s Waterhouse traveled to Italy. In 1883 he married Esther Kenworthy; like him, an artist who had exhibited her paintings at the Royal academy. Tragedy was to accompany the couple; who had two children that died during childhood.

    Echo and Narcissus
    Even though Waterhouse primarily painted in oils he was elected to the Royal Institute of Painters of Watercolour in the year 1883. In 1884 he finished his mesmerizing Consulting the Oracle. By the mid-1880s Waterhouse began exhibiting in the Grosvenor Gallery, the New Gallery and provincial exhibitions in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester; this popularized even more the international symbolist movement. Waterhouse was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1885.and in1888; Waterhouse exhibited The lady of Shalott, showing his growing interest with the “femme-fatales”. About the 1890s Waterhouse began to exhibit portraits and by 1895 he became a full member of The Royal Academy. In the 1900s, at the late stage of his life he contributed to the War Fund and St John's Wood Arts Club where upcoming new artists such as Byam Shaw shined, beginning the “neo Pre-Raphaelite" genre.

    The last decade of his life was marked by an increased illness. He created a series of painting based upon Persephone, as well as making several versions of Ophelia. In 1917 his body finally gave in; he died of cancer. However his wife was to live another 27 seven years, finally dying in 1944 and was buried next to her husband.

    Ophelia
    In his life, unlike most artists he became popular and was relatively well financially. Today, many of his works belong to private collections and/or their destination is unknown but they are generally scattered all across England.

    Lamia
    Edit:
    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...t=54058&page=2
    In this thread, if you scroll down to the 33 post you will see more or his works...
    Last edited by RexNecros; August 08, 2006 at 03:09 AM.
    Tuba mirum spargens sonum
    per sepulcra regionum,
    coget omnes ante thronum

  2. #2

    Default Re: John William Waterhouse

    very nice post Rex,those pictures very nice.


    Very nice.

  3. #3
    Spiff's Avatar That's Ffips backwards
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    Default Re: John William Waterhouse

    Great pictures, another fine addition to this forum
    Under the patronage of Tacticalwithdrawal | Patron of Agraes

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