"And at the closing of the day she loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away, The Lady of Shalott."
The broad stream bore her far away, The Lady of Shalott."
The Lady of Shalott
John William Waterhouse
John William Waterhouse
1888 - Oil on Canvas
Tate Gallery, London
This painting of the Lady of
Shalott is the first of three done by John William Waterhouse. Though Waterhouse
was not born when the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was formed, his pieces
in the Victorian period are the finest work influenced by the Pre- Raphaelites at that late period. The Lady of Shalott depicts the story of Tennyson’s poem by the same name. Tennyson’s poetry became particularly popular inspiration for the works of the Brotherhood.The story tells of a woman cursed to live in a castle on an island near Camelot and never able to look out of the tower. She is only allowed to view the outside world through reflections on a mirror, which she depicts in her tapestries. She grows quite lonely and longs for love, especially after seeing Sir Lancelot in her mirror. She decides she must see him directly and looks out of her window, fulfilling the curse, unraveling her tapestry and cracking her mirror. Waterhouse’s painting captures the moment when the Lady of Shalott flees the tower in an attempt to sail toward Camelot, still holding her newly loosened chains; however, she dies before reaching her destination. The three candles (two blown out and one still lit) on her boat symbolize the short time she has left before her death. The woman is dressed in white, and has with her a crucifix and rosary, suggesting her purity and spirituality. The tragic love illustrated by Tennyson's poem and Waterhouse's painting appealed to the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers as one of the themes they favored most. Waterhouse also portrays the passive role of the woman that was commonly depicted by Pre- Raphaelites in their work. The aspects of spiritual nobility and the melancholy of the sorrowful aspects of love are also shown through the story and detail of the painting. The Lady of Shalott illustrates the woman who abandons her social responsibility in her pursuit of love and shows the continaution of Pre -Raphaelite style, even after the time period of the Brotherhood.
in the Victorian period are the finest work influenced by the Pre- Raphaelites at that late period. The Lady of Shalott depicts the story of Tennyson’s poem by the same name. Tennyson’s poetry became particularly popular inspiration for the works of the Brotherhood.The story tells of a woman cursed to live in a castle on an island near Camelot and never able to look out of the tower. She is only allowed to view the outside world through reflections on a mirror, which she depicts in her tapestries. She grows quite lonely and longs for love, especially after seeing Sir Lancelot in her mirror. She decides she must see him directly and looks out of her window, fulfilling the curse, unraveling her tapestry and cracking her mirror. Waterhouse’s painting captures the moment when the Lady of Shalott flees the tower in an attempt to sail toward Camelot, still holding her newly loosened chains; however, she dies before reaching her destination. The three candles (two blown out and one still lit) on her boat symbolize the short time she has left before her death. The woman is dressed in white, and has with her a crucifix and rosary, suggesting her purity and spirituality. The tragic love illustrated by Tennyson's poem and Waterhouse's painting appealed to the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers as one of the themes they favored most. Waterhouse also portrays the passive role of the woman that was commonly depicted by Pre- Raphaelites in their work. The aspects of spiritual nobility and the melancholy of the sorrowful aspects of love are also shown through the story and detail of the painting. The Lady of Shalott illustrates the woman who abandons her social responsibility in her pursuit of love and shows the continaution of Pre -Raphaelite style, even after the time period of the Brotherhood.
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