J.W. Waterhouse: The Modern Pre-Raphaelite June 26, 2009

In the Sackler Wing of Galleries

This major retrospective of Pre-Raphaelite artist, John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) will feature over 40 paintings together with sketchbooks and drawings from public and private collections worldwide.

The exhibition will consider how Waterhouse's paintings reflect his engagement with contemporary issues ranging from medievalism and the classical heritage to spiritualism and the New Woman. Born the year the Pre-Raphaelites declared their rebellion against the Royal Academy, Waterhouse also inherited their taste for Tennyson, Keats, and Shakespeare, and drew from classical myth as interpreted by Homer and Ovid.

During the 1890s, Waterhouse gravitated toward images of metamorphosis: lily-like nymphs seducing Hylas into their pool; Flora kissed by the west wind; Echo and Narcissus pining away; Phyllis forgiving Demophoön; Daphne fleeing Apollo. Waterhouse’s career closed with a decisive return to emotive "Pre-Raphaelite" narratives such as the Annunciation, Fair Rosamund, Dante and Beatrice, Miranda-The Tempest, Tristan and Isolde, and Il Decameron.

Official Website: http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/jw-waterhouse-ra/