Narcissus' reflection smiles -
mocking and loveless.
The Legend of Echo and Narcissus (as depicted by John William Waterhouse)
The Roman Myth as told in Book Three of the Metamorphoses, which was written during the Augustan Age (27 BC–AD 14). tells of Echo (an extremely chatty water nymph) who was cursed by the god Juno so that she was only able to finish a sentence not start one, and only able to repeat the end of other people's sentences. This character in this ancient Roman parable gives rise to the origins and etymology of the word Echo.
After this curse befell her, she fell in love with a man who was out hunting deer with his friends. Yet, during the hunt, Narcissus became separated from his companions, while being stalked by the nymph, he shouted out, "is anyone there," and startled heard the nymph repeat his words.
Echo loved the vain Narcissus, but upon seeing her he scorned her harshly, with these words: "Hands off! May I die before you enjoy my body."
Despite this, she remained stricken with unrequited love, and her fellow Nymph's prayed to Nemesis,(goddess of revenge) to reciprocate the pain of unrequited love upon Narcissus. IN answer to their prayers Nemesis, cursed Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection in a forest pool where he wasted away and died, stuck perpetually seeing a young version of himself, while Echo (an immortal nymph) sat beside him, unable to speak a word until he rotted and fell into the pool.
This character of Narcissus in this Roman parable gives rise to the origins and etymology of the word Narcist/Narcissistic.
Waterhouse depicts the self-absorption of Narcissus so well as he stares into the pool oblivious to Echo sitting forlornly nearby, with the landscape around the duo painted with an almost sinister tinge to it. I'm convinced he chose a very specific colour palette on purpose to represent the nature of unrequited love.
I couldn't get the best picture, because I was very aware of the thick glass causing reflections, so I had to wait for other gallery visitors to move on, and then take the picture by extending my right hand in front of the painting. I took about five shots and this was the best of them... given that this is arguably the most rare and valuable work of art in Walker Art Gallery 😂🙂 it took me a long while to get any good shots and the security guard was giving me very odd looks.
Perhaps he thought I was a member of Extinction Rebellion, or another Climate Activists group about to try to give it a new paint job 😂
Whatever the case, once I got a halfway decent picture I sat down in front of the painting and wrote the poem which is at the beginning of this post.
A Brief History of John William Waterhouse
John William Waterhouse was born on April 6th 1849 in Rome and died in February 1917 in London, England. He studied at the Royal Academy in London in 1870, with his first love being sculpture which he pursued until 1874 when he became exclusively a painter.
This seems to be an ongoing motif with all the artists I've shared from my trip to the Walker Art Gallery. which doesn't surprise me in the least, as I've found exactly the same as a fiction writer & poet. I started off trying to emulate other writers/poets that I admired. It was only after a certain amount of time, mental pain and overall producing what I considered to be sub-par writing that I realised, you have to find your own voice. It is the same with artists, except they need to find their own style. It can be influenced by idols etc, - but it is only when you find a balance between the inspiration they've given you and something that comes from yourself, from deep in the bones - that the voice/style emerges.
In regards to style, John William Waterhouse was something of an enigma as he is associated both with the Pre-Raphaelite artistic movement, as he very often found his muse in parables, fables and mythology as did most of the Pre-Raphaelites. However, he is also associated with the Impressionist art movement, as can be seen in the example below where he applies paint to canvas in a more impressionistic and colourful style.
John William Waterhouse produced works depicting scenes of mythological and literary themes throughout the 1890s and 1900s and exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy of Art.
Both images are public domain Source one & Source two - Left is a picture of John William Waterhouse, Right his Artwork 'The Favourites of the Emperor Honorius' I have included to highlight his influence from the Impressionist school of art.
An Exploration of the Pre-Raphaelite Artistic Movement
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was formed in London in 1848. This group of artists admired the 'primitive' artists of the Italian Renaissance.
The founding members included painters, sculptors and writers who wanted to challenge the academic art training of that time. Chief members included - William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
The Pre-Raphaelites worked from the idea that art should represent the idea of 'truth to nature', painting in bright colours with great attention to detail.
At first, their works almost exclusively covered subjects from ancient mythology, literature and scenes from the bible. But after a time they embraced modern-day (for their time) themes and landscape works.
As a proud Liverpudlian I'm happy to report that Liverpool became a notable supporter of the Pre-Raphaelites works of art in the 1850's as the Liverpool Academy repeatedly awarded its annual prize to Pre-Raphaelite paintings, while other academies and galleries of note were still spurning the Pre-Raphaelite movement. This support by the artistic community in Liverpool saw many works bought by wealthy merchants as Liverpool was England's primary dock area and a hub of industry at the time.
The Walker Art Gallery
I recently visited the Walker Art Gallery with my girlfriend. During the three hours we spent there I took many pictures and wrote Haiku poems inspired by the art that had grabbed my attention.
Art galleries have a strange effect on me. I always find myself drawn into a meditative place by the gallery's quiet and the art's impact.
I am always this way in any gallery... names don't impress me. I could walk past a Picasso (although I do like Picasso) to sit and write in response to an unknown artist's work if it caught my eye and senses. I find it hard to explain, but it is like a force that draws me to certain paintings.
However, I am often drawn to major (famous) works of art as well such as today's subject 'Echo and Narcissus'* by John William Waterhouse, I absolutely love this painting and always stop to admire it even having visited the gallery over twenty times (I really can't remember, probably more as my mum used to take me there as a kid).
If you are visiting Liverpool I fully recommend you visit the Walker Art Gallery (the link takes you to a Google Maps location of the gallery).
Whether you're looking for world-famous artists' original oil on canvas paintings - or fancy checking out some more modern art (as they host the Liverpool John Moores Art Prize Collection) - there is something for every art lover.
Thanks for reading 🙂🌿
To read more about the aesthetics of true haiku, and the difference between haiku and senryu, please check out my post: Haiku Vs Senryu - The Aesthetics of Form
All images in this post are my own property, taken at The Walker Art Gallery.
Camera used - Samsung S7 Smartphone
If you have enjoyed this Haiku, please check out my homepage @raj808 for similar content.
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