John Waterhouse

John William Waterhouse was born in Rome to his parents on April 6, 1849. HE lived there for the first six years of his life, absorbing the character of Italian culture until his family's return to England. Waterhouse was an avid scholar of ancient history during his youth, and unlike most members of the Royal Academy his only tutorage in art was from his father. He was admitted to Sculpture School in July 1870. He was sponsored by a painter, F.R. Pickersgill. IT was he who returned Waterhouse's attentions back to painting. One of his earliest paintings was purchased by a private collector. The painting showed his love of the city, Rome, he would return to over and over again throughout his lifetime. By 1882 Waterhouse was exhibiting regularly and making a lucrative living from his art. In 1888 he exhibited a painting at the Academy which was to become his most famous masterpiece, "The Lady of Shalott". Miranda- the Tempest" has always been considered one of the finest works painted in the last year of his life. Miranda stands swaying against the storm while under the high cliffs the doomed ship plunges downwards, a scene filled with all the drama fit to portray such a subject. In a tribute which relates with what esteem this artist was held by his peers, the painting "The Enchanted Garden" was shown after his death at the Academy of 1917- even though it remained an unfinished work. Although it has only been recently that Waterhouse's work has resurfaced into the mainstream, he was, in his own lifetime, considered to be one of the greatest artist's of his day. Often he is considered to be a pre-Raphaelite artist, but in reality he never belonged to the brotherhood and was always original; inspired by his own love of history and myth. His paintings are successful due not only to their perfection in the academic sense, but also because they reach to us- even goddesses have that 'girl next door' quality that we