APW- J.W. Waterhouse (603 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 2 on 26 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Anansie (View user info) at 2006-09-27 17:01:26 EDT
History: "Waterhouse, John William (1849-1917). English painter. Early in his career he painted Greek and Roman subjects, but in the 1880s he turned to literary themes, painted in a distinctive, dreamily romantic style. In approach he was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, but his handling of paint is quite different from theirs--rich and sensuous. His work includes such classic Victorian anthology pieces as The Lady of Shalott and Hylas and the Nymphs."
Style: "He painted pre-Raphaelite pictures in a more modern manner. He was, in fact, a kind of academic Burne-Jones, like him in his types and his moods, but with less insistence on design and more on atmosphere."
My Blathering: The first time I ever saw one of Waterhouse's paintings was in my literature anthology for Senior English. The painting, as you may have already guessed, was "The Lady of Shalott." We were reading Tennyson's poem of the same name. I was immediately struck by the keen depiction of sorrow on the Lady's face. The craft of the painting itself amazes me. The detail of the reeds, the blanket, the Lady's hair and dress... I could go on and on. I can't really explain how that painting makes me feel, other than it makes me sad for some woman who never existed. A shitty description, I suppose. Maybe simple wording is best sometimes. Maybe we don't always need to share our feelings, not when someone can paint it for us. I've got this poster on the wall, and a framed print of "The Shrine" as well.
Here is the poem, for those of you who haven't read it. Of course you can skip it and go to the pretty pictures below if you want.
The Lady of Shallot
Part I
On either side of the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And through the filed the road runs by
To many-towered Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.
Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro' the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four gray walls, and four gray towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.
By the margin, willow veil'd
Slide the heavy barges trail'd
By slow horses; and unhail'd
The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave lier hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?
Only reapers, reaping early
In among the bearded barley,
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly,
Down to tower'd Camelot:
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers "Tis the fairy
Lady of Shalott"
Part II
There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott
And moving thro' a mirror clear
That hands before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot:
There the river eddy whirls,
And there the curly village-churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.
Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
An abbot on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly shepherd lad,
Or long-hair'd page in crimson clad,
Goes by to towered Camelot;
And sometimes thro' the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.
But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often thro' the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights,
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed;
"I am half sick of shadows" said
The Lady of Shalott.
Part III
A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley-sheaves,
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.
The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy.
The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Camelot:
And from his blazon'd baldric slung
A mightly silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his armour rung,
Beside remote Shalott.
All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather,
The helmet and the helmet-feather
Burn'd like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot.
As often thro' the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Shalott.
His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow'd
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flash'd into the crystal mirror,
"Tirra lirra." by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.
She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces thro' the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She looked down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.
Part IV
In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining,
Heavily the low sky raining
Over tower'd Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And round about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.
And down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance --
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.
Lying, robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right --
The leaves upon her falling light --
Through the noises of the night
She floated down to Camelot:
And as the boat-head wound along
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard her singing her last song,
The Lady of Shalott.
Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turned to tower'd Camelot.
For ere she reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.
Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott
Who is this? and what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they cross'd themselves for fear,
All the knights at Camelot:
But Lancelot mused a little space;
He said, "She has a lovely' face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."
User Reviews
Submitted by Method (user info) at 2006-10-11 10:06:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
+2 YOU HAVE A BAJINER
Submitted by Susie_Derkins (user info) at 2006-09-28 15:37:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Forgot to rate this. These are beautiful, just the type of etherial quality I'm trying to achieve with my latest project.
Submitted by thorpe (user info) at 2006-09-28 10:05:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Pentameter (user info) at 2006-09-28 10:04:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Pretty.
Submitted by CaptainThorns (user info) at 2006-09-28 08:33:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Looking back at your most recent photograph, I just realized your incredible resemblance to the Lady of Shalott...jaw-droppingly similar.
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2006-09-28 04:04:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I have a print of The Lady of Shalott..
Beautiful work
Submitted by Flying_buttmonkey (user info) at 2006-09-28 03:06:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:11:08 (#)
Ranking: 2
My favorite of his is La Belle Dame sans Merci.
However, "The Accolade" is also nice, and you'd swear it's his, but it isn't
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I know someone's already said it but Edmund Blair Leighton. I have that print on my wall at home, it always takes people by surprise that I have art on my walls. I think they expect dead puppies and a collection of bus tickets or something.
Submitted by Stagger_Lee (user info) at 2006-09-27 23:57:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Also, the scrimshaw turtle is from the Dark Tower, I think.
Ha!
Submitted by Stagger_Lee (user info) at 2006-09-27 22:42:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Ha, you said it in the post. That's what I get for skimming.
Submitted by Stagger_Lee (user info) at 2006-09-27 22:30:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Poem's by Tennyson, isn't it?
Submitted by Anansie (user info) at 2006-09-27 19:10:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by bob (user info) at 2006-09-27 18:53:00 (#)
Ranking: 2
done before but i wont break the streak
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Don't worry about the streak, man. Rate however you want.
I actually dug up the old Waterhouse post. I should have known.
Submitted by bob (user info) at 2006-09-27 18:53:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
done before but i wont break the streak
Submitted by Anansie (user info) at 2006-09-27 18:09:36 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:56:12 (#)
Ranking: 2
Y HELO THAR NAKED STREAKING SPIDER-GIRL
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You really like talking about that, don't you hon?
I thought it only counted as streaking if you were AWARE of an audience.
Submitted by Amontillado (user info) at 2006-09-27 18:05:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:56:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Y HELO THAR NAKED STREAKING SPIDER-GIRL
Submitted by The_taste_of_Monkeys (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:47:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I already own many fine crappy MSPaint collages, what else can you offer me?
Submitted by Anansie (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:34:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
You know, I really dig "The Magic Circle." I should have made it bigger.
Submitted by Orgasmatron (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:33:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This makes my mangina slick.
Submitted by Anansie (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:33:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:21:03 (#)
Ranking: 2
Edmund Blair Leighton
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Yeah, I found it. Pretty cool. I enjoy classic and neoclassic art because it portrays stuff I've read.
Submitted by kaos-king (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:23:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Another reason for me to adore you...
APW = AUTO +2
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:21:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Edmund Blair Leighton
Submitted by coley (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:17:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I don't know if I've seen his stuff before.
Awesome.
Submitted by Anansie (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:15:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I searched for accolade to find out the artist, and also turned up this image as well:
http://www.elodieveau.com/images/oeuvresencours/Accolade.JPG Not the same artist, but kickass.
Submitted by Sacrilicious (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:12:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Gorgeous. I think I've seen some Waterhouse on Uber before. The one with the nymphs is one of my favorites.
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:11:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
My favorite of his is La Belle Dame sans Merci.
However, "The Accolade" is also nice, and you'd swear it's his, but it isn't. http://library.flawlesslogic.com/accolade.jpg
I like to play on http://www.artmagick.com
I need more walls to put stuff on.
Submitted by Method (user info) at 2006-09-27 17:03:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment