Painting Description
Within this composition, John William Waterhouse depicts Ariadne lying back on a balcony bench. A number of lepards sit around her, seemingly of no threat. The artist adorns the area with a series of flowers, in tones of red, pink and white. The main figure is dressed in a long, red dress of thin material. Her chest is partly revealed as her dress falls off from her right shoulder.
The model wears a slim belt around her waist and has her hands behind her head in order to be as comfortable as possible. A bush comes over the side of the balcony from the right hand side, and there is architectural detail which points to a classical period. In the distance we can determine a harbour, with a single ship docked.
Ariadne has reddish hair which hangs down the back of her resting place. She appears asleep, and entirely comfortable. The model chosen for this sitting is of slim build with a pale skin tone, just as would be the case for most Waterhouse paintings. He tended to use either brunettes, or red heads, with few blondes. In some cases he would have to adapt for private commissions, but most of his paintings used models who he would arrange himself.
Introduction to John William Waterhouse
Many of Waterhouse's outdoor scenes feature classical architecture in a similar way to the work of Lawrence Alma Tadema and his models would all follow the same pattern of being tall, slim and elegantly dressed. In fact the red dress worn here maybe the same one featured in other paintings at around this time.
Whatever the setting, Waterhouse would adorn his scenes with many additional items, which in this case are a couple of exotic animals who sleep aside Ariadne. There is also the expected flurry of flowers that can be found in many of his paintings and the overall atmosphere is one of relaxation and comfort.
Waterhouse was an intriguing artist who arrived at around the end of the Pre-Raphaelite movement but implemented many of their ideas into his own work, along with inspiration from other sources such as Victorian literature as well as older mythology. His style was to depict feminine portraits in a calming atmosphere and was particularly popular during his own lifetime. He regularly exhibited new work at the Royal Academy and would later become an associate there.
The model found in this painting would have been identified by notes left by the artist whenever he made use of a new subject. If this was her first time posing for Waterhouse, then the notes would have been included on the back of this painting - otherwise art historians would need to backtrack through his career in order to find the point at which she first appeared. She may also have appeared in some of his many study drawings.
Larger Image of John William Waterhouse's Ariadne
We have included a larger image of Ariadne below, which should allow you to see more of the detail added around this large canvas. Waterhouse was, first and foremost, a portrait painter but he would never rely on traditional formats, and loved to adorn his models with mythical themes. Ariadne is therefore a prime example of his typical style and continues to attract new followers today, with Victorian art enjoying something of a Renaissance.
Ariadne
