John William WATERHOUSE ✿

John William Waterhouse RA (Rome, 6 April 1849 – London, 10 February 1917) was a English painter belonging to the Pre-Raphaelite movement. He is considered a "modern Pre-Raphaelite" , as his works date back to a few decades after the dissolution of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood.

In fact, his painting was influenced on the one hand by their stylistic influence, and on the other by that of his contemporary impressionists. His paintings are known for their depictions of women from both ancient Greek mythology and Arthurian legend.

Waterhouse later moved to London, where he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Art Schools. He soon began exhibiting at their annual summer exhibitions, focusing on the creation of large canvas works depicting scenes from the daily life and mythology of ancient Greece. Many of his paintings are based on authors such as Homer, Ovid, Shakespeare, Tennyson, or Keats.

Waterhouse's work is displayed in many major art museums and galleries, and the Royal Academy of Art organised a major retrospective of his work in 2009. Waterhouse could not finish the series of Ophelia paintings because he was gravely ill with cancer by 1915. He died two years later, and his grave can be found at Kensal Green Cemetery in London.

Non ho mai capito dov'è
la felicità
se dietro l'angolo
è lì che ti aspetta
oppure giace qui già
silenziosa boa di vento
e di speranza
dopo tanta tempesta

~ Catherine La Rose© ~