John William Waterhouse

John William Waterhouse painted women from myth, legend and poetry: the Lady of Shalott drifting downriver, Ophelia among flowers, nymphs, sirens and enchantresses. His colours are rich and his faces dreamy, and he combined the academic finish of his training with the romantic spirit of the Pre-Raphaelites.

He was born in Rome to English painter parents and moved to London as a child. He studied at the Royal Academy Schools and first painted classical scenes. From the late 1880s he turned to Arthurian and literary subjects. The Lady of Shalott is at Tate Britain and Hylas and the Nymphs at Manchester Art Gallery. He became a Royal Academician in 1895.

A Mermaid, his diploma work, shows her combing her hair on the shore. Flora and After the Dance show his lighter, flower filled side.