She famously goes mad after the death of her father, and suffers an untimely death herself after she climbs into a willow tree and a branch breaks, dropping her into a brook in Denmark where she drowns. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The image of Ophelia has inspired not only artists. “Carolina Pigeon” (“Turtle Dove”) by John James Audubon, “Far Away Thoughts” by John William Godward. John William Waterhouse - The Danaides Group $ 25.00. After the death scene she appears in the play only twice, being absolutely insane. And it’s easy to imagine how the water taking Ophelia, and how with the same painful-focused, anxious face, she will swim in the stream while the dress finally will drag it to the bottom. Although these paintings may seem to show Ophelia’s death as purely romantic and beautiful on first appearance, the subtler indications of danger, tragedy, and fear are plentiful. He also studied prominent French art of his period, as well as the key British artistâs of generations previous, including members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood as well as more classical painters like Frederic Leighton and Lawrence Alma-Tadema. White is the traditional color of a bride’s wedding dress and blue is the most common color worn by the Virgin Mary in art, a tradition which dates back to the fifth century AD. Thomas Francis Dicksee’s Ophelia has the long red hair of the Pre-Raphaelite muses, crowned with colorful flowers. “Ophelia”, John William Waterhouse, 1889, oil on canvas. The Ophelias painted by Dicksee and Waterhouse look directly out to their observers, seemingly aware that they are being watched and perhaps inviting observation. I knew him, Horatio—a fellow, "And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, This raises the question of whether such focuses emphasize or override the tragedy of her wasted life. In the 1894 version by Waterhouse, Ophelia is depicted, in the last moments before her death, sitting on a willow branch extending out over a pond of lilies. This lovely oil on canvas painting is by the English Pre-Raphaelite artist, John William Waterhouse, from 1889 and is titled “Ophelia”. Ophelia was a favorite subject of Waterhouse and he painted her three times, in 1889, 1894, and 1910. Ophelia – the heroine of Shakespeare’s beloved Hamlet, a young girl who did not respond to his love Prince aspirations and gone mad, after Hamlet kill her father. Required fields are marked *. John William Waterhouse’s vividly colorful paintings of Ophelia were also inspired by the beautiful women of Pre-Raphaelite art. The painting is Waterhouse's "Ophelia" 1910: the transformation of the artistic image On late work before the viewer is presented a completely different Ophelia. The English composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, is a huge collector of John William Waterhouse works and Victorian art in general, and his collection includes this 1889 rendition of Ophelia as well as the 1910 version. The vivid color also seems celebratory, with Ophelia’s surroundings appearing either ignorant of her death or unfeeling towards her. It is as if searching for something or something frightened – by its appearance it is impossible to determine whether it is going to consciously step into the stream. Waterhouse also ambiguous in the interpretation of history – his Ophelia stands on the shore, lifting the hem of her for the next step, holding an armful of flowers, but her face is so concentrated and detached at the same time, it is impossible to say whether she sees something in front of him. We are all aware of Millais' Ophelia painting whilst John William Waterhouse himself completed many of his own versions, with three of them included in this website. ©Manchester Art GalleryIn contrast to Redgrave and Millais, Arthur Hughes depicts Ophelia as a young, waif-like figure. In both of these Waterhouse paintings, Ophelia is not in the water and is looking away from the river.