John William Waterhouse

John William Waterhouse (baptised 6 April 1849 – 10 February 1917) was an English painter who began his career in the Academic style before adopting the approach and themes of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His work frequently features women drawn from ancient Greek mythology, Arthurian legend, and the plays of William Shakespeare. Most of his paintings show a single young woman in historical dress and setting, though he also produced some Orientalist and genre scenes, still largely centered on female figures.

Waterhouse was born in Rome to English parents, both painters. The family moved to London in 1854, settling in South Kensington near the newly opened Victoria and Albert Museum. Encouraged to draw from an early age, he often sketched works at the British Museum and the National Gallery. In 1871, he entered the Royal Academy of Art Schools, initially studying sculpture before turning to painting.

His early works, such as *Sleep and his Half-brother Death* (1874), were classical in theme, influenced by artists like Alma-Tadema and Frederic Leighton, and not yet Pre-Raphaelite. These were shown at the Dudley Gallery and the Society of British Artists. The 1874 painting was a success, and he exhibited at the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition every year from then until 1916, except for 1890 and 1915. His 1876 piece *After the Dance* was given a prominent spot at that year’s exhibition, and his canvases grew larger over time. Some early works remain little studied, as they are held in private collections. *The Slave* (1872), for instance, lacks analysis despite its complex subject matter and unusual Arab figures, which depart from his usual European classical narratives. A sketchbook from this period shows other studies of Arab models, suggesting a brief fascination with Orientalism, also seen in *An Eastern Reminiscence*. The painting *Portrait of a Young Woman* was unknown until it appeared with a hole in the canvas on the BBC programme *The Antiques Roadshow*; it was later included in Peter Trippi’s monograph on Waterhouse.

In 1883, Waterhouse married Esther Kenworthy, daughter of an art schoolmaster, who exhibited her own flower paintings at the Royal Academy. He became a full Academician in 1895, 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 his most famous subjects is the Lady of Shalott, based on Tennyson’s poem about Elaine of Astolat, who dies after looking directly at Lancelot. He painted three versions: in 1888, 1894, and 1916. Another recurring figure is Ophelia; his best-known Ophelia painting shows her just before death, sitting on a tree branch over a lake, putting flowers in her hair. Like the Lady of Shalott, it depicts a woman dying in or near water. He may have been inspired by Ophelia paintings by Rossetti and Millais. He submitted the 1888 Ophelia to receive his Royal Academy diploma (he had planned to submit *A Mermaid* but it was not finished in time). That painting was later lost until the 20th century and now belongs to Lord Lloyd-Webber. He painted Ophelia again in 1894 and around 1909–1910, and planned another called *Ophelia in the Churchyard*.

Waterhouse was gravely ill with cancer by 1915 and died two years later. He is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London. In total, he produced 118 paintings, many held in major museums and galleries. The Royal Academy of Art organized a major retrospective of his work in 2009.