John William Waterhouse
1849–1917 · Symbolism & Art Nouveau
Biography
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917), born in Rome, was a British painter influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites. He is known for his scenes of women from myth and legend, such as The Lady of Shalott.
From the artist’s life
John William Waterhouse was born in Rome in 1849, the child of an English family. Both his parents were painters. The family moved back to England when Waterhouse, nicknamed “Nino”, was five. He began painting under his father’s supervision, but his attempts to get into the prestigious Royal Academy failed, so he decided to become a sculptor. Fate, however, willed otherwise: when he enrolled at a school of sculpture, Waterhouse was taken under the wing of a painter who recognised his talent and promptly persuaded him to choose painting again instead. He was later admitted to the Royal Academy, and his career took off. We know very little about Waterhouse’s private life apart from the fact that he was married and lost two children while they were still small. The model for The Lady of Shalott was probably his wife.
From the page of The Lady of Shalott
