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John William Waterhouse
Cleopatra (1887)
Cleopatra, depicting said historical figure reclining among her elegance and fineries, is one of Waterhouses's most famous paintings.
Waterhouse’s delicate render of Cleopatra’s hair and carefully shaded skin emulates softness to her figure, which portrays her elegance. However, Cleopatra’s eyes are striking, making it a focal point of the subject matter and communicating a sense of boldness. Additionally, the use of broad, rough strokes on the belt and wall adds a different interpretation to her character, as it creates an outstanding texture of the gold, highlighting her seductiveness and bold intelligence. As much as Cleopatra's attributes and legacy are hard to discern, she is portrayed as a woman of great authority and force. This painting captures the varying perspectives on Cleopatra in a manner no other painting has.
Cleopatra (1887)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 56.9 x 65.3 cm
Original image from http://allart.biz/photos/image/John_William_Waterhouse_14_Cleopatra.html
The Lady of Shalott (1888)
Waterhouse focuses on the plight of a beautiful and tragic woman based on the poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, “The Lady of Shalott” (1832)
“It was the closing of the day:
She loos'd the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.”
(source: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45359/the-lady-of-shalott-1832)
The Lady of Shalott (1888)
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 183 cm × 230 cm
Original image from TATE Modern Britain
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/waterhouse-the-lady-of-shalott-n01543
Waterhouse implements the en plein air painting technique in this piece, meaning he painted the piece outdoors as opposed to in a studio. The warm and autumnal colour palette, as well as the low cast lighting used by the artist is reflective of the hopelessness of The Lady of Shalott’s fate to die. The bewildered look on the woman's face communicates a sense of sorrow, and her unkempt hair both give the image of a woman not in control of her own destiny (a possible nod to the political power of women in Britain at the time). The dark woodland and sky also add another suppressive element to the mood of the piece, further adding to the idea of a woman suppressed.
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