Reviews on Inside Out Upside Down Gallery Site
J.W. Waterhouse (1849-1917). The Modern Pre-Raphaelite at the Groningen Museum Netherlands
This exhibition has now closed but a majority of the paintings will be available at exhibitions in London at the Royal Academy and Montreal. On the two days that I attended the exhibition it was constantly packed with visitors from the Netherlands and Germany, plus a selection of people from English speaking countries. This type of popularity was quite a surprise to me as Waterhouse's style has long been derided in Australian art circles. It is a shame that the exhibition will not be coming to Australia.
The exhibited works are the majority of J.W.Waterhouse's most significant works, plus a selection of his studies and preliminary drawings. Exhibited in rooms that complement the scale of the paintings and enhanced by unobtrusive lighting, this would have to be the best presentation space in which to have presented these works of art. Visitors were able to view the works at any focal length they pleased, a considerable number of artists were present taking extensive photographic notes during my two visits. From an artists perspective wishing to learn as much as possible about Waterhouse's techniques this was an wonderful opportunity.
The Groningen Museum presented not only works by Waterhouse but supported this with audio visual information of a high calibre. The location of the material was in an upper level of the Museum, on the two occasions I used the material there were more than enough people wanting access to the six computers that were available.
The exhibition's supporting book "J.W.Waterhouse 1849-1917 The Modern Pre-Raphaelite" is a significant work developed through the cooperation of the three Museums, the Bristol University and the four well known writers that contributed to the book. The publication is first class, though I noted that the English version and Dutch versions had variations in the colours of the reproductions. These colour variations however are minor compared to the lack of faithful colour reproduction in past publications and prints.
The works exhibited provide a very complete view of Waterhouse's oeuvre. From his tentative works of the early 1870s to what can be considered his most complete works of the 1890s and then his slow conversion to a less emotionally expressive style towards his death in 1917. The strength of the artists imagination in terms of composition and representation of emotionally charged moments is fully expounded. The use of a luscious palette to strong effect without overstatement is also brought to the attention of the viewer. What is perhaps missed is the use by Waterhouse of brush techniques that present a sense of movement, similar to many animation tricks of mid 20th century cartooning but far more subtle.
It is very evident that Waterhouse was an artist that established his own individual style, built on experience of the past and work of his contemporaries. I was left with a feeling that he was also influenced by Ruskin's writings on art and probably other critics of the period, though he never participated directly in the creation of dogmatic views. He appears to have found no difficulty in combining many often conflicting views of the time into his paintings to present what at the time were modern works using known themes to comment on his life and times.
To anyone that has a mild interest in Waterhouse or in late 19th century European art I would recommend seeing these paintings at the Royal Academy of Arts, London or at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The paintings are exceptional examples of a very individual style that no other artist of the era managed to approach.
author: Neil Miley