Waterhouse and March

From the reading I've done so far on Waterhouse there is not a huge amount known about the man or his methods. He was a private person and took steps to keep it that way. So, learning from him will have to come from looking at his work more than any interviews where he said what he did with paint. In such a case, knowing the context in which he was working is very important. So, learning about the Pre-Raphaelites and others in his time will be crucial to understanding more about Waterhouse and how he thought.

As for my plan then for March, I hope to do copies of his work (only in pencil to begin with) to get an idea about composition, subject matter, etc. Hence today's humble offering. Here is the original Miranda. In my perusal of his works so far, this is one of my favorites. I love the shore, I especially love it on lonely days, and looking out at the waves is just entrancing. I love that there is a general calmness to her pose, brightness to what lies before her, and yet there are very intentional stormy clouds behind her. All of that has very little to do with the real Miranda, who is a character in Shakespeare's The Tempest.

His use of light to shade the forms for her are tremendous. She is a solid weight there, but a gentle solid. Her gown resting on the rock is just beautiful to look at in and of itself. Apparently, his sister modeled for this painting.

That's enough for today...