Introduction
This particular part of the series was completed by the artist in 1905 and can now be found at the Auckland Art Gallery.
The inclusion of a couple of lovers is a common theme throughout this artist's career and Waterhouse loved to portray his female models as elegant and innocent, following on from the earlier Pre-Raphaelites.
His own style sat slightly on the fringes of that group as he made use of other influences too to create his own unique style.
Waterhouse spent his very early years in Italy and also spent a lot of time studying French art of his period, and these influences were joined with the native Pre-Raphaelites to create the sort of paintings that appear here.
Description
Waterhouse was a talented artist who could successfully capture the gentle touches of female clothing against the brute strength of the warrior's protective equipment. Her delicate outfit hangs perfectly from the lady's slim frame, common throughout all of the artist's chosen models.
We see the attractive young woman on her knees in front of the handsome knight. She wears a long dress with a stunning pattern, which hangs down to her shoulders. A small material belt is tied around her waist. Her hair is long and auburn, and the model's frame is tall and slim, just as was the case with most of his models.
She puts her hands onto the knight, appearing to try to persuade him to do something. He looks down at her, seemingly in a trance, caused by her beauty and perceived innocence. Artist Waterhouse loved stories such as this, where danger might lurk beneath the innocent surface of his paintings.
The artist places the couple within a dense forest, giving them privacy and also darkening most of the scene around them. A small flurry of flowers lay around the knight's feet, and some branches lead up the side of the composition. The light that is added by Waterhouse reflects off the armour to the right hand side, as well as around the pale shoulders of the female figure.
Waterhouse's Muses
He would re-use his favourites on multiple occasions and so a quick browse through his paintings will lead to you spotting several of the same women many times. Mythology was also key to his career content, more so in the earlier part of his career. He also produced some art which was similar to that of Alma-Tadema early on, before later forging very much his own path.
Further Versions of Lamia
The artist re-visited this topic with another version of Lamia that came about four years later - that scene features the Greek figure on her own. Whilst being from Greek mythology, Lamia was featured in a poem by John Keats in around 1820.
Poetry Inspiration
It is likely that this was indeed the inspiration for this painting as it tells of the very same meeting that we find within this composition, where a chariot rider falls in love on first sight with a sweet, delicate lady.
The poem reveals how she would then turn into a half-serpent and prey on this man, and the only clue to that is in her dressing at this point. Skillfully, the artist provides the female figure with a serpent-like pattern on her dress, similar to snakeskin, and this indicates to us of what she is about to turn into.
Large Image of Lamia I
See below for a larger image of Waterhouse's original Lamia painting. This will enable you to appreciate more of the stunning detail added by the artist all those years ago. Many will be unable to view the piece in person, making this the next best thing.
Lamia I
