This is the 'Lady of Shalott' by John William Waterhouse
Painted in 1888,
it tells the story of a nameless woman who suffers from a curse
As we see the lady moving downstream in a boat,
two low-flying swallows tell us that
something ominous is happening
The lady is dying
'The Lady of Shalott' is one of three paintings that Waterhouse based on a
poem by Alfred Tennyson, set in the times of the legendary King Arthur and the
medieval city of Camelot
The poem was a very popular subject for artists in
Victorian Britain because of its theme of tragic love
Forbidden to leave the tower,
the lady is only allowed to see the outside world through a mirror or
else suffer an unnamed curse. Waterhouse captured the poems first part
in his 1915 painting 'I am Half Sick of Shadows Said the Lady
of Shalott'
As the lady spends her days weaving a
tapestry, we see the city of Camelot in the mirror's reflection along with two
lovers enjoying life
Trapped in her tower, the lady longs for love
'When the moon was overhead, Came two young lovers lately wed,
'I am half sick of Shadows', said the Lady of Shalott.''
Curiously a red poppy appears in the reflection of the mirror but not in the
foreground where it should be. Symbolizing eternal sleep,
the poppy foreshadows the lady's impending doom. While weaving shuttles,
that look like small wooden boats, predict the scenes to come.
Waterhouse told the next part of the poem in his 1894 painting 'The Lady of Shalott
Looking at Lancelot.' One day the lady sees an image in her
mirror of the knight Lancelot riding towards Camelot
He rode between the barley-sheaves, The Sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
and flam'd upon the brazen greaves, Of bold Sir Lancelot.
Falling in love, the lady turns
to look at Lancelot and the mirror shatters
The curse is fulfilled.
Out flew the web and floated wide; The mirror crack'd from side to side;
'The curse come upon me,' cried the Lady of Shalott.
Waterhouse paints the lady looking
directly at the viewer.
Tangled in the threads of her tapestry, and holding one
of the small wooden shuttles, the lady prepares to flee the tower and meet her
beloved Lancelot.
In the context of 19th century Britain, Waterhouse may have been
suggesting that this is a woman with agency, choosing to defy her confinement
in pursuit of her own desires.
At the same time, the lady represents the
Victorian idea of the doomed woman who sacrifices everything for love
Tennyson's poem also echoed many artists questions about whether they should
create their own interpretation of nature or capture it truthfully.
The Lady's actions symbolised the artist breaking away from the world of
imagination to engage with the world around them
The final part of the poem is captured
in the Lady of Shalott
On the far left, we see the steps leading down from the tower
to the river.
On the prow of the boat, the Lady of Shalott has been carved into the
wood. Draped over the boat is the tapestry illustrating the Lady herself
and Lancelot surrounded by other knights. She holds a chain for the boat's mooring
which she's just about to release. On the boat is a crucifix symbolizing sacrifice
and three candles.
Two have been blown out, suggesting that her life will end soon
and a dead leaf falls as she floats down the river.
For ere she reach'd upon the tide, The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died, The Lady of Shalott.