Summer With the Masters Week 6 - Artist Highlight: John William Waterhouse

Hello my friends! Welcome back to my channel, Diamonds and Washi. My name is Katie, and if you are new here, hi! Welcome! I hope you'll consider subscribing, and if you are back, as always, welcome back. Today I'm here with week six of Summer with the Masters 2022. If you are new, this is the first video you're stumbling across and you're not sure what I'm talking about. Summer with the Masters is an event that I'm co-hosting with my friend Jessica over at Tiny Worlds of Wonder. This event is just centered around all things Old Masters artwork, which for our purposes is artwork that was created before the year 1927, which is the public domain year here in the U.S., and we are just taking a couple of months here in the summer to really celebrate the absolutely incredible artwork that these Old Masters artists have created. And our goal with this series is also to just let you guys know about this often untapped well of artwork that's available for you to use completely guilt-free because it's part of the public domain for your diamond painting projects. So today I wanted to just take a little bit of time and talk about an artist that I think is fairly well known and beloved in the diamond painting community, as well as the art community at large, and that is actually the artist for this particular piece here. So today's video is just all going to be about an artist highlight for the one and only John William Waterhouse. For many of us, I feel like John William Waterhouse is sort of a almost like a gateway to this genre of artwork, especially if you're like me who honestly came into this event and this series last year with a relatively minimal amount of knowledge when it comes to art history and artwork in general. And John William Waterhouse is one of the very first artists that I was really, really drawn towards. There's something about his style of painting that just myself as an amateur and very much not knowing a lot about all the context behind his artwork and art history in general, just still found his artwork to really speak to me. And so I thought that this year it would be really fun to take some time to not only dig in and learn about John William Waterhouse myself, but also to share with you all, especially because so many diamond painting companies out there, if they have old master's artwork pieces, more often than not, it seems like John William Waterhouse, one of his pieces is going to be something that they offer. So I will say that I just pulled together this research myself from a variety of different sources. It's possible that I have gotten some of the facts, you know, slightly wrong or something like that. You're more than welcome to jump in in the comments and let me know if you know something that I don't or need to correct something. I certainly am not infallible. I was just honestly enjoying digging into learning a lot more about this artist in general. If you're curious, by the way, the piece that you're looking at here on the screen, this was actually the custom that I chose to do this year for Summer of the Masters. It is, of course, of a piece by John William Waterhouse and the title of it is Destiny. If you're curious to learn a little bit more about this piece, I will talk about it a little more in depth at the end, but I want to start with just more of an overview of this particular artist. So let's start out with the basics. Well, John William Waterhouse was born in 1849 in Rome and he was born into a family of artists. His father moved the family back to England in 1850, so I'm sure he didn't quite remember that move. John William Waterhouse often helped out in his father's studio and gained those artistic skills from a pretty young age and entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1870. He actually started out with studying sculpture, but by 1874 he had changed direction and fully devoted himself to painting. I'm so curious what it would have been like if he would have spent time like really getting into sculpture and what a set of artwork that we would be missing, but yeah, always wonder what could have been. So his early works were executed in an academic style. His main influencers were painters Lawrence Alma Tadema and Frederick Layton. He painted classical themes like sleep and his half-brother death in 1874. This painting was actually exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and this may be one of the first ways that he started to gain some recognition for his work. As he continued to mature artistically, Waterhouse became closely associated with pre-Raphaelite artists and adopted their style and choice of the subject matter. Now I did have to look up what this particular genre and like time period of the style of artists meant. So they were the pre-Raphaelite artists that is, and they were a group of English poets, painters, and critics who rebelled against the art establishment and kind of the mechanical approach to art that was first adopted by Mannerist artists. Instead, these pre-Raphaelite artists took inspiration from early Renaissance painting and Romantic painters. They were kind of championing artistic individuality and individual methods of depictions. They were they were rebelling against the institution at the time. A little bit more on his personal life. So Waterhouse didn't have a lot of, it sounds like a lot of drama in his personal life, and he married Esther Kenworthy in 1883. His wife was actually the daughter of an art school master and was an artist herself. She actually had exhibited her work at the Royal Academy as well and it was predominantly floral paintings, like flower paintings, which interestingly enough towards the end of Waterhouse's career we see more of those floral paintings. But before we get to that, in the second half of the 1880s, Waterhouse began experimenting with en plein air painting, which is a French term for painting outdoors. He went on expeditions to Italy and to the English countryside and created a series of sketches and oil studies. He began to draw inspiration from classical and Romantic literature, which is again tapping into those pre-Raphaelite themes as far as artwork goes. He painted a lot of scenes from Greek mythology and the Arthurian cycle. One of his most famous paintings, which I am guessing you probably have seen, is the Lady of Shalott in 1888. This was based on Alfred Tennyson's poem of the same name. The poem itself is from an Arthurian legend about Elaine of Astellot, a maiden who died of unrequited love for Sir Lancelot. The subject appealed to Waterhouse, who created an additional two paintings based on different verses from Tennyson's poem, one of which was the Lady of Shalott looking at Lancelot in 1894, and I Am Half Sick of Shadows, said the Lady of Shalott from 1915. You probably have seen a lot of I Am Half Sick of Shadows this particular year. That's a diamond painting kit that a couple of companies have put out, and it's a really, really incredibly moving piece. Now John William Waterhouse had a unique style of painting with which he portrayed classical and mythical scenes, kind of like we talked about. He was a romantic and passionate artist in the truest sense. He had a fascination with beautiful heroines and strong female characters and the femme fatale, and he portrays themes using symbolism, vivid color schemes, and beautiful light. I definitely feel like that's something that I've noticed and been very drawn toward. I love the way that he uses light in his paintings, and I think that I also tend to be really drawn towards strong female characters, and so I think that is definitely something that was one of John William Waterhouse's strengths, and he has painted a lot of his subjects are these women, and a lot of his subjects were famous women of that era as well. Most of his paintings were in oil. That was his main medium. He used vivid color schemes, natural settings, and beautiful light, kind of like we talked about in his paintings, and his work illustrates the tales of love and tragedy depicted by his female muses. Throughout the 1890s, Waterhouse mastered his portrayal of female figures from Greek mythology, and Circe offering the cup to Ulysses in 1891, and Pandora in 1896. Also, he did works based on heroines of romantic literature like Juliet in 1898, and Ophelia in 1894. In 1895, he received the full membership of the Royal Academy, and he also taught at St. John's Wood Art School, which is part of the St. John's Wood Arts Club, and served on the Royal Academy Council. In the second half of the 1900s, Waterhouse created a series of paintings of women with flowers that were inspired by different verses of poetry, like The Soul of the Rose, which I think is arguably one of his most well-known paintings, at least in the diamond painting world. That was in 1908, and also Gather You Rosebuds While You May in 1908 as well. By 1915, he was gravely ill with cancer, and died two years later in London on February 10th in 1917. His last painting was called The Enchanted Garden in 1916 to 1917, and was left unfinished. It was actually found on his easel after he had passed. His wife Esther outlived him by 27 years and died peacefully in 1944, and the couples are laid to rest beside each other in London. So that's just a very brief snapshot of what John William Waterhouse's journey looked like, and what his life looked like, and kind of the context of his artwork over the years. I definitely encourage you to continue digging and doing further reading if this is something you want to learn even more about. I really feel like I only just skimmed the surface, but I loved getting to dig into and learn more about this artist whose artwork that I really, really enjoy doing, at least in diamond painting form. And now just a brief break for a word from our sponsors. So now's the time when I'm going to talk a little bit about the weekly giveaways. We have more to talk about as far as John William Waterhouse goes after this bit, but Jessica and I could not make Summer with the Masters happen without the support and generosity of some really, really amazing sponsors from the diamond painting community. There are some small businesses that we have had the privilege of getting to partner with for Summer with the Masters, and we super, super appreciate their above and beyond contributions for this event. So first I'd like to announce the winners from my week 4 video a couple weeks back, and to enter you just have to follow the instructions in that video and have filled out the google form. The first prize that I had to give away was donated by Jaded Gem Shop and is a Henry Clive diamond painting kit, and the winner of this prize is... take a look at the screen... Congratulations! I will send you an email to verify your info and get your prize sent out to you. The second prize I have to give away is a $24 gift card from Diamond Painting Shop. They've donated several gift cards for the event, and we super, super appreciate that. So the winner of this gift card and this prize is... take a look at the screen... Congratulations to you! Be sure to keep an eye on your email, please. And the third and final prize from week 4 that I had to give away was a goodie pack of some Old Masters themed prizes and goodies from an anonymous donor and friend. So the winner of this prize is... there you go! Congratulations to my three winners from week 4. Like I said, keep an eye on your email so I can verify your info and get your prizes sent out to you. Now, this week I have a few more prizes to give away, the first of which has been donated by Distracted by Diamonds. Thank you Robin and Ben over there. This is the diamond painting kit Zodiac I'll actually be working on this kit very, very soon. So this will be shipped to you directly from Distracted by Diamonds. The second prize that I have to give away is another $25 gift card from Diamond Painting Shop. Thank you so, so, so much Rosa over at Diamond Painting Shop for donating another gift card. You guys be sure to check out their amazing selection of Old Masters kits as well as their licensed artwork. The third and final prize that I have to give away, I'm so excited for you guys, I have a set of specially curated Munimade trays that were designed and created just for Summer with the Masters. Now, Munimade's trays are really honestly difficult to get your hands on because they sell super, super quickly and I was thrilled when the owner of the shop, Emma, had reached out to me and we got to collaborate together and put together a set of trays. So it's the tray, the lid, and the stopper that we felt really matched the Old Masters. So you'll be getting both of these trays, the large and the small set. These are also available this month in her shop during her weekly restock, so be sure to follow her on Twitter for more info on that and Instagram as well. These trays are super special. The trays themselves are in a This is a new filament to the shop and it's so shiny and perfect. And then each of the lids has a different design on them and they're both florals and they're in this amazing sparkly gold, or sorry, sparkly red filament. I think, is it ruby red? Anyway, it's so sparkly and amazing. And then the stoppers, while they're nice and white and neutral in the tray, once they're exposed to UV light, they actually turn a pale blue that we just thought really matched well the artwork that Jessica and I were working on for Summer with the Masters. It kind of matches this piece with the gold and the red tones and everything. So the winner will be having these shipped to them. Actually, a set directly from Union 8. And like I said, both of them have the special event engraving on the side and the flowers on the inside of the lid. So these curated sets will be available for sale only during the month of July. And then after that, they are gone. So the only way you can get your hands on them is either through this giveaway or through trying to snag them in one of the weekly drops. So to enter for this week's prizes, I would like you to first make sure you've filled out the Google form that's attached to this video. If you've already filled it out sometime during the course of the event, either to enter for one of Jessica's giveaways or for one of mine, if you've already filled it out, you do not need to fill it out again. But you do need to make sure you've filled out that form and all the info requested in there. And then second, I'd like you to leave a comment on this video letting me know what your favorite piece is by John William Waterhouse. I will announce the winners for these prizes in my next video, which will be the week eight video in two weeks. Just a reminder, don't write prize or giveaway or anything like that in your comment. I just love to hear what your favorite piece by John William Waterhouse is. Now, if you're having some trouble thinking of one, I wanted to take a some of John William Waterhouse's most well-known pieces and kind of where their origins are. So the first that I'll start with is probably one of his most well-known pieces, which is The Lady of Shalott, which is one of the ones we talked about. He actually painted three variants of this particular piece, first in 1888, then in 1894, and lastly in 1915. It is one of his most renowned works and is done in the Pre-Raphaelite style. One of the Lady of Shalott paintings is given to the general public by Sir Henry Tate in 1894 and can be viewed at the Tate Britain in London. The painting depicts the main character of Tennyson's poem titled The Lady of Shalott in 1842. In the poem, the Lady Shalott has been bound to her quarters on an island near the city of Camelot. She was cursed to stay in the tower and look at the outside world through a mirror reflection. The painting reveals the third part of the poem where Sir Lancelot is seen by Shalott and the sound of him singing takes her away from the tower and breaks her curse and she gets on a boat to go to the city of Camelot. Isn't that just, like, it almost gives you chills, I feel like, and I love the way that John William Waterhouse captured the emotion that must be felt in this piece. So this is one of his well-known works. Another is Boreas, and I actually mentioned this one in my wish list, my custom diamond painting wish list in my last last video, and this is the portrait of a young woman standing in the blowing wind. Her scarf is being blown away and she's holding on to it. The setting seems to be set during the springtime with pink balloons and yellow daffodils in the background of the painting and actually for over 90 years this composition was lost until it reappeared again around 1990 where it was available for purchase. This captivating work is named after Boreas who is the Greek lord of the northern wind and this is from the year 1903. Another of his well-known works is actually one of my favorites. I did a custom of this one last summer and this is Miranda the Tempest. Now Miranda is a fictional character in one of the later works of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Waterhouse painted this composition in 1916 and it portrays Miranda as described in one of the most prevalent scenes of the play. Miranda looks onward to sea and is seeing a ship get split in two by the massive waves. This is from the year 1916. This next one like I mentioned earlier is one that I think probably most not all of you have seen and seen often and that is The Soul of the Rose. This is actually one of just the few paintings that Waterhouse painted that's not depicting an ancient tale. Instead it shows a woman in a garden. This woman is believed to be the woman Alfred Tennyson wrote of in a poem and the poem talks about a woman who is in her garden thinking about a past lover. The name of the poem is Come into the Guard Maud by Alfred Tennyson and it's quite lengthy so I'm not going to read it right now but you're welcome to go and look it up if you're curious to see what the likely inspiration for this particular piece was. This next piece is actually one of Waterhouse's earlier works. It's from the year 1866 and the title of it is The Magic Circle. The woman in this image kind of gives off an impression of being a witch or a priestess who has magic powers. She appears to be making some sort of potion. Her haircut resembles that of an early Anglo-Saxon and her dress is Persian or Greek. In her left hand she holds a sickle and in her right she has a long wand and appears to be drawing a circle for an enchantment. Now these themes of magic and enchantment we can see in some of Waterhouse's other works as well including this piece from 1892 which is Circe Invidiosa and in this painting we see a tall woman who has slightly tilted down. She's pouring a green fluid from a bowl into the water beneath her and at her feet there appears to be a shadowy figure swimming in the water. In Greek mythology Circe was a goddess or sorceress who had knowledge of mixing various herbs to create magical enchantments and this painting depicts the story of Circe pouring a greenish substance into the water with the intention of changing her adversary Cecilia into a beast. So this is one of his works is obviously inspired by Greek mythology and again we get to see those themes of like magic and enchantment in it as well. The last piece that I wanted to mention though it's by no means the last that I feel deserves recognition and attention for how beautiful and fantastic it is from John William Waterhouse but I only have so much time with you all today. This piece is titled A Mermaid and is from the year 1900 and we can see the mermaid is sitting alone near land brushing her long reddish hair and she has this big shell with a bunch of pearls in it next to her and she looks like she may be singing. Now this is consistent with kind of the mythology and idea that mermaids were known for baiting mariners to their demise using their song, their little their literal siren song. So this is a really stunning piece as well. Now those are just a few like I said of John William Waterhouse's probably more well-known works and I did want to take just the end of this video here to talk briefly about the piece that I chose to work on as my custom for Summer with the Masters this year. Now I'll pop up a picture of the original artwork so you can see it in its original form. This was painted in 1900 and if you look on the bottom left corner above John William Waterhouse's signature you can also see a note that says Artist's War Fund. This was a piece that he created specifically for that, the Artist's War Fund, and this fund raised money for British soldiers and their widows during the Boer War which started in 1899 and paintings donated by 350 different artists were put on exhibition in the London Guildhall and 12,000 pounds was raised for the fund via an auction there. So this was included as part of that. This piece really just spoke to me. It's a really fascinating piece to me. I think the use of the mirror in the background I think is so interesting to me and Waterhouse uses mirrors in a few different pieces of his. We see this woman she's kind of raising a bowl or a glass to her mouth as like a farewell toast for the departing warriors and I think you can read into her expressions some different things like maybe she's lost in thought, maybe she's feeling forlorn, but I like I said I just thought this was really really interesting out from my little bit of research and everything from what I had read. Some things about the setting actually make the the placement of this as far as like where and when a little bit ambiguous because it has a few different styles in it including the fact there's like a bound book but also like this style of room and corridors so I thought that was interesting and then in the reflection in the mirror itself it's interesting because it actually obscures some of the the room behind it so we don't actually get to see a lot of what's actually happening behind her but it also gives us a glimpse from like what's happening on the opposite side of the room so it's interesting that it gives us less perspective in some ways and more perspective than others and the reflection itself is not perfectly accurate and I guess some writers and like art experts and historians have suggested that it actually is done that way on purpose and is intended to reflect an idea or a vision of the future like maybe she is seeing a vision of the future which actually fits the title of this piece which is Destiny. I really enjoyed the vibrant colors in this piece and also just what generally draws me to John William Waterhouse's work which is just the amount of emotion that he conveys through the subjects of his paintings and it's just very it's very evocative and I was really really happy in the end that this was the piece that I chose to work on especially even maybe because it's not necessarily one of his most well-known works but it was it was also just really interesting to read up on what the context of this piece was as well and I encourage you to to do that for your old master's paintings as well it's just a google search away and you can usually find a brief snapshot or a more extensive look in depth look if you like but I think it just gives a new appreciation for the artwork as you're working on it as well so you guys I hope that you enjoyed doing this dive into John William Waterhouse as an artist. I know that I really enjoyed learning a lot more about his background and what influenced his work and the context like the historical context of what was going on at the time and that sort of thing so I hope you found it interesting as well and hopefully in future events and series I can do other artists highlights for artists that we all know and love from the old masters so I'd love to hear your thoughts if you are an art more of an art history expert and have more fun trivia or thoughts that you'd like to share about John William Waterhouse or if you if you want to correct anything that I didn't get quite right in this video feel free to do so in the comments and be sure by the way that you are subscribed to Jessica's channel over at Tiny Woods of Wonder so you're not missing a second of Summer with the Masters. I have been obsessed with the content she has been putting out for this event and loving every second of it she is definitely more of an art history aficionado and has so so so much knowledge and insight on this subject so please please please be sure that you're following along with with her videos as well you guys thank you so much for joining us for Summer with the Masters it is not too late to join in at all we're not requiring new starts or finishes this is just all about us as a celebrating this genre of artwork so anyway my friends I'm gonna go ahead and let you go thanks for watching if you enjoyed this video please give it a thumbs up before you head out and of course if you're not already subscribed I would absolutely love to have you I try to put out a lot of different diamond painting content and hopefully things that you guys really enjoy so have an absolutely amazing amazing week my friends stay safe out there and I'll chat with you in the next one bye