Study for 'Ophelia'

John William Waterhouse (1849−1917)

Graphite on paper

248 x 172 mm (9 7/8 x 6 7/8 inches)

v: Study of an Arm (fragment)

Provenance: by family descent from Dr. John Physick. Bought as Lot 724, Sotheby's, 5th July 2006.

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You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the Crowther-Oblak Collection of Victorian Art and the National Gallery of Slovenia and the Moore Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway (2) and link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.

Commentary by Paul Crowther

Waterhouse did at least three treatments of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The present sketch is a basic study for the one exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1910 (currently owned by Pre-Raphaelite, Inc.). That work presents her full of grim resolve, presumably advancing towards the stream where she will drown herself. In the present sketch, Waterhouse is working out the basic dynamics of the figure’s posture in relation to its forward motion and physical setting.

Bibliography

Crowther, Paul. Awakening Beauty: The Crowther-Oblak Collection of Victorian Art. Exhibition catalogue. Ljubljana: National Gallery of Slovenia; Galway: Moore Institute, National University of Ireland, 2014. No. 130.

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Created 9 January 2015