John William Waterhouse Paintings

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Toperfect supply oil painting masterpiece reproductions of the old master John William Waterhouse, You are welcome to send us your own pictures to copy as museum quality oil painting on canvas.

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Biography of John William Waterhouse

English Pre-Raphaelite painter and draftsman
born 1849 - died 10 February 1917
Born in: Rome (Lazio, Italy).
Died in: St John's Wood (London, Greater London, England)
Also known as: Nino.
Associate member of: Royal Academy of Art (from 1885).
Full member of: Royal Academy of Art (from 1895)
Movement: Pre-Raphaelite

John William Waterhouse was born in Rome, and was always known by his family, and personal friends as Nino, the diminutive of the Italian Giovanino.

Early in his career the painter established his style. It changed little, but the artist continually refined it, and beautiful ladies of Waterhouse paintings were recognizable flesh and blood, with superb skin tones. The painter also painted a few excellent portraits of women, some of them being of the members of the Henderson family of Lord Faringdon, of Buscot Park fame.

Listening to His Sweet Pipings
A woman lies distraught among nature. A mythical pan piper plays to the girl in a vain attempt to comfort her. This Waterhouse painting Listening to His Sweet Pipings is a good example of how Waterhouse can capture a sense of self-reflection in a figureï¿½s countenance and eyes. The viewer can tell that even though our subject is looking out, she is not looking at anything in particular, just deep in thought with a glazed expression on her face. Other great examples of this can be seen in both paintings by Waterhouse of Ophelia, one painted in 1894 and the other in 1910 and also ï¿½I am Half Sick of Shadowsï¿½ another version the painter did of the Lady of Shallot.

The first of Waterhouse paintings exhibited at the Royal Academy was Sleep and his Half-Brother Death, in 1874, and since then there have been few Academies without one or two of John William Waterhouse artworks. He was elected an ARA in 1885 the year of one of best Waterhouse paintings St Eulalia. The Magic Circle, painted in 1886 which was purchased for the Chantry Bequest Collection, and The Lady of Shallot, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1888 were others of most popular John William Waterhouse paintings. The painter became an RA in 1895.

Waterhouse painting Hylas and the Nymphs, shown at the Royal Academy in 1897 passed into the collection of the Corporation of Manchester, and by them was lent for Exhibition in Glasgow in 1901, and the Franco-British Exhibition 7 years later. At other loan exhibitions in Whitechapel, Manchester, City of London Guildhall, and Earls Court examples of Waterhouse painting have been on view from time to time. His wife several times exhibited paintings of floral subjects at the Royal Academy.

John William Waterhouse painted a second version of this painting entitled Tristram and Isolde, which has the bottle of potion behind Tristram and less of the castle visible. There is also a crown on Isolde’s head and a book which lies open at her feet. The edge of the plank separating the two is even more pronounced with Isolde actually appearing to be slightly elevated.

	Ophelia 1910 Oil on canvas 40 1/8 x 24 inches (102 x 61 cm) Ophelia sits by the edge of the river tormented by a deep sadness. She is putting flowers in her hair preparing herself for suicide. The story of Ophelia derives from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Hamlet, Ophelia’s love and betrothed, rejects Ophelia and orders her to a nunnery because John Waterhouse is obsessed with revenge against his uncle, who he knows murdered his own father, and married his mother in order to become king. Hamlet’s bizarre behavior, which she does not understand, drives Ophelia mad, causing her to throw herself into a river, singing as she drowns. This John William Waterhouse art portrays Ophelia and her story beautifully. Waterhouse has truly captured the way she might have looked before her suicide, her gazing out at nothing, entranced in thought, mindlessly placing flowers in her hair, driven crazy from grief.
Peter Trippi quoted that “the Art Journal noted her ‘wistful-sad look’ and observed that, ‘never can this beautiful creature, troubled with emotion, experience the joys of womanhood’” Hamlet having never actually slept with her. This John William Waterhouse painting is often compared to John Everett Millais’ Ophelia in which she is floating already dead in the water. Millais’ Ophelia was painted from 1851-1852.