The pre-Raphaelites art movement in the mid 19th century was one that did not last very long compared to other art periods at the time. Despite this, however, many inspirational artists emerged within this era who created works that would later impact art history in later years. One of these artists was an English painter by the name of John William Waterhouse.  

Circe Invidiosa - Wikipedia
Circe Invidiosa (1892)

Born in Rome, Italy, in 1849, to a family of artists, Waterhouse was heavily involved with the arts growing up. He was encouraged to create art from a young age by his parents and often assisted his father in the studio during his teen years. By 1870, Waterhouse became enrolled in the Royal Academy to study sculpture and painting, where he created many of his early works. These paintings in his early years were often compared and influenced by the works of Frederic Leighton and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema with their classical style of painting. 

John William Waterhouse - Sleep and his Half-Brother Death
Sleep and his Half-Brother Death (1874)

In his later works, Waterhouse was known for his depictions of female figures and natural scenery, often portraying a unique style of classical and mythological scenes. The unconventional use of composition and his rendering of the human skin was an element that drew me into his paintings, as his illustrations resemble that of photographs. His use of colours and shadows also adds character to the image, which makes the pieces engaging and unique. No other artist that we studied up to this point has created imagery that resembled that of real-life with such delicacy and details as he does. 

John William Waterhouse - Cleopatra
Cleopatra (1888)

Waterhouse went on to showcase in many exhibitions after his studies. As his career began to launch, his fame would also skyrocket after his work Consulting the Oracle was recognized and purchased by Sir Henry Tate in 1886. As he progressed with his career, he began working with several art organizations, and his work continued to be exhibited in annual galleries before his death in 1917. 

John William Waterhouse - Consulting the Oracle
Consulting the Oracle (1884)
Mariana in the South
Mariana in the South (1897)

Sources

“Biography of Waterhouse.” Waterhouse Biography | Life, Paintings, Influence on Art, https://www.johnwilliamwaterhouse.net/biography.html.

“John William Waterhouse Biography (1849-1917) – British Artist Life.” Totally History, 29 Jan. 2013, https://totallyhistory.com/john-william-waterhouse/.

John William Waterhouse Biography, http://www.john-william-waterhouse.com/biography/.

Header Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Waterhouse