Waterhouse, John William (1849-1917) - 1912 Penelope and the Suitors (Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums, Aberdeen, Scotland)
Oil on canvas; Overall: 129.8 x 188 cm.
John William Waterhouse was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter who is most famous for his paintings of female characters from Greek and Arthurian mythology. He was one of the final Pre-Raphaelite artists, being most productive in the latter decades of the 19th century and early decades of the 20th, long after the era of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Because of this, he has been referred to as "the modern Pre-Raphaelite", and incorporated techniques borrowed from the French Impressionists into his work.
He was born in Rome to William and Isabela Waterhouse, both painters themselves. When he was 5 the family moved to South Kensington. During his early years he studied under his father before entering the Royal Academy schools in 1870. His early works were of classical themes in the spirit of Alma-Tadema and Frederic Leighton, and were exhibited at the Royal Academy.
In 1874, at the age of 25, Waterhouse submitted the classical allegory Sleep and His Half-Brother Death to the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition. The painting was very well received, leading him to exhibit at the RA almost every year thereafter until his death in 1917. Waterhouse's most famous painting is "The Lady of Shalott", a maiden who dies of grief when Lancelot will not love her. He actually painted three different versions of this character, the first in 1888. In 1883 he married Esther Kenworthy, who herself exhibited her own flower paintings at the Royal Academy and elsewhere. In 1895 Waterhouse was elected to the status of full Academician. He taught at the St. John's Wood Art School, joined the St John's Wood Arts Club, and served on the Royal Academy Council.
Waterhouse, John William (1849-1917) - 1912 Penelope and the Suitors (Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums, Aberdeen, Scotland)
Oil on canvas; Overall: 129.8 x 188 cm.
John William Waterhouse was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter who is most famous for his paintings of female characters from Greek and Arthurian mythology. He was one of the final Pre-Raphaelite artists, being most productive in the latter decades of the 19th century and early decades of the 20th, long after the era of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Because of this, he has been referred to as "the modern Pre-Raphaelite", and incorporated techniques borrowed from the French Impressionists into his work.
He was born in Rome to William and Isabela Waterhouse, both painters themselves. When he was 5 the family moved to South Kensington. During his early years he studied under his father before entering the Royal Academy schools in 1870. His early works were of classical themes in the spirit of Alma-Tadema and Frederic Leighton, and were exhibited at the Royal Academy.
In 1874, at the age of 25, Waterhouse submitted the classical allegory Sleep and His Half-Brother Death to the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition. The painting was very well received, leading him to exhibit at the RA almost every year thereafter until his death in 1917. Waterhouse's most famous painting is "The Lady of Shalott", a maiden who dies of grief when Lancelot will not love her. He actually painted three different versions of this character, the first in 1888. In 1883 he married Esther Kenworthy, who herself exhibited her own flower paintings at the Royal Academy and elsewhere. In 1895 Waterhouse was elected to the status of full Academician. He taught at the St. John's Wood Art School, joined the St John's Wood Arts Club, and served on the Royal Academy Council.