John William Waterhouse (1849-1917)John William Waterhouse was an English Pre-Raphaelite artist who was also heavily influenced by Neoclassicism. His most famous works are the Lady of Shalott of 1888, Hylas and the Nymphs of 1896 and La Belle Dame Sans Merci of 1893.Early in his career he painted Greek and Roman subjects, but in the 1880s he turned to literary themes, painted in a distinctive, dreamily romantic style. In approach he was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, but his handling of paint is quite different from theirs--rich and sensuous. His work includes such classic Victorian anthology pieces as The Lady of Shalott (Tate Gallery, London, 1888) and Hylas and the Nymphs (City Art Gallery, Manchester, 1896). The image below is taken from his Narcissus of 1912. It represents Narcissus who was punished by falling in love with his own reflection. He was trapped by the beauty of his own reflection and died. Yellow narcissus flowers grew there in memory and these are included in the painting.
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