Pre-Raphaelites and The Lady of Shalott
As Europe begins to reopen to travelers, it’s more exciting than ever to think about the cultural treasures that await. For me, one of the great joys of travel is meeting great art in person – which I’ve collected in a book. Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces. Here is one of my favorites:
The woman’s troubled face makes it immediately clear that – despite the painting’s stunning beauty – it does not tell a happy story. The Lady of Shalott knows she is swimming down the river to her doom.
English artist John William Waterhouse depicts the dramatic climax of a fictional story. The Lady of Shalott spent her entire life locked away in a castle near King Arthur’s Camelot, forbidden even to look outside on pain of death. She could only observe the world indirectly through the reflection in her mirror. But one day, the handsome knight Lancelot passed by. She was so impressed that she broke the rules and looked directly at him. Now she follows his tracks and boards a boat, releasing the mooring chain, as she sets off into the unknown to find her beloved, no matter what.
The riverside scene — the reeds, the inky water, the dark atmosphere, even the birds in flight — evokes the melancholy beauty of the moment. Ms. Shalott burns brightly, her white gown and red hair radiating from the black background. Waterhouse focused on provocative details, such as the Lady’s clean hair, pearl necklace, light dress, and cupped hands. For Lady’s face he painted his wife. The colors – reds, greens and blues – are bright, clear, and sparkling, like stained glass windows.
The whole scene looks medieval, yet it was painted in the industrial age when Britain was leading the world in new technologies like electricity and trains. While Victorian Britain was moving forward, its artists looked to the past. Waterhouse was inspired by a group of British artists known as the “Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood”, who painted medieval maidens and mythical lovers with haunting beauty.
The Pre-Raphaelites hated overacting. So – even with great tragedy, high emotions, and moral dilemmas – this lady barely raises an eyebrow. But his surroundings speak volumes. Night is falling, foreshadowing her dark destiny. The first autumn leaf has fallen near her thigh. She brings the bright tapestry she wove in captivity, with scenes from the comforting world of illusion she once knew. Now she is guided by only a dim lantern, a small cross to strengthen her faith, and three fragile candles—only one of which still burns.
Victorians of all ages knew this romantic tale (which was also Tennyson’s best-selling poem). Everyone can read their own meaning into the painting: the Lady has chosen to leave her safe but delusional existence to pursue the truth. She is following her heart despite the dangers. She risks finding intimacy, love and sex, even at the cost of losing herself in the process. Her facial expressions show a mixture of fear, hope, vulnerability, and the realization that – whatever comes – it’s her destiny.
She lets go of the chain. Then, Tennyson wrote, “like a bold seer in a trance,” she went “beneath the river’s dim expanse.” In legend, the Lady of Shalott’s boat drifts downstream and washes ashore at Camelot, where Lancelot sees her and mourns for her. She had fallen victim to the curse of seeing the world as it was.
