The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is hosting the largest-ever retrospective of the British painter John William Waterhouse (1849-1917). Thanks to loans from the Tate Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Leeds Art Gallery, the Museum will present all three versions of The Lady of Shalott, Waterhouse's most celebrated and popular piece based on Tennyson's poem, This showing will be the first time these three works have been presented together.
J. W. Waterhouse: Garden of Enchantment runs through February 7, 2010 and includes some eighty works, paintings and works on paper plus a book of poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson belonging to the artist. The first international exhibition of the artist's work since 1978, it is also the first to feature the entire artistic career of this modern Pre-Raphaelite, who was fascinated with the femme fatale of literature, both as enchantress of ancient times and romantic heroine.
A classical painter, J.W. Waterhouse borrowed generously from Naturalist and Impressionist schools and often scandalized peers and critics of his time with his modern approach and combined techniques.
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