Book Description
John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) is one of the most enduringly popular of the Victorian artists, and paintings such as The Lady of Shalott, Hylas and the Nymphs and Ophelia have become icons recognized the world over. With their compelling composition and glowing colour, these paintings are admired for their beauty and for their power to transport the viewer into a romantic world of myth and legend. At the same time, Waterhouse's wistful heroines also reflect the troubled attitudes of nineteenth-century male artists towards women. In this carefully researched new study, Peter Trippi presents a fresh and absorbing analysis of the artist's seductresses, martyrs and nymphs, and the cultural and historical circumstances in which they were produced. He also utilizes new research to provide an accessible biography of the artist. Themes explored include Waterhouse's passion for Italy, literature and the classical world, the role of the Royal Academy in his life, his stylistic influences and studio practice, and his relations with collectors, dealers, critics and curators. Neglected throughout much of the twentieth century, Waterhouse has enjoyed a dramatic revival of fortune. Peter Trippi's monograph provides a timely re-evaluation that combines a close reading of Waterhouse's imagery with a candid appraisal of the milieu in which he worked. Peter Trippi studied at New York University and the Courtauld Institute, London, and is currently Vice Director for Development at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Unlike the artwork of many of his Victorian contemporaries, the paintings of John William Waterhouse (1849–1917) continue to have a hold on museumgoers. Indeed, postcards of his masterpiece The Lady of Shalott outsell any other image at the Tate Britain. This continuing appeal owes something, according to art historian Peter Trippi, to Waterhouse's intense portrayal of women, who often appear as seductresses, martyrs, and nymphs in his work. This fully illustrated monograph is the first comprehensive study of the Italian-born artist in more than two decades.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) is among the most popular Victorian artists, and many of his paintings have become icons of femininity recognized the world over. With their glowing colour, compelling composition and Impressionist-inflected technique, these paintings are admired for their beauty, yet at the same time have the power to transport viewers into a romantic world of myth and legend." "Waterhouse's art reflects not only his distinctive ideal of female beauty, but also a lifelong fascination with the Romantic and Symbolist themes of passion, magic and transformation - spiritual, erotic and physical. These themes also reflect the complex and ambivalent attitudes of his age. Peter Trippi presents a new analysis of Waterhouse's enchantresses, martyrs and nymphs, at the same time presenting a fresh and thoroughly researched review of this surprisingly enigmatic artist's life and the circumstances in which he painted." Like other Victorian artists, Waterhouse was neglected through much of the twentieth century, but today he is acknowledged as a crucial inheritor of the Pre-Raphaelite legacy. Peter Trippi's monograph provides a timely re-evaluation that combines a close reading of Waterhouse's imagery with a new appraisal of his unique and enduring qualities.

SYNOPSIS

John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) is one of the most enduringly popular of the Victorian artists, and paintings such as The Lady of Shalott, Hylas and the Nymphs and Ophelia have become icons recognized the world over. With their compelling composition and glowing colour, these paintings are admired for their beauty and for their power to transport the viewer into a romantic world of myth and legend. At the same time, Waterhouse's wistful heroines also reflect the troubled attitudes of nineteenth-century male artists towards women.

In this carefully researched new study, Peter Trippi presents a fresh and absorbing analysis of the artist's seductresses, martyrs and nymphs, and the cultural and historical circumstances in which they were produced. He also utilizes new research to provide an accessible biography of the artist. Themes explored include Waterhouse's passion for Italy, literature and the classical world, the role of the Royal Academy in his life, his stylistic influences and studio practice, and his relations with collectors, dealers, critics and curators.