The Magic Circle: A Pre-Raphaelite Artwork
The Magic Circle, by John William Waterhouse
This enchanting British art piece has a timeless subject matter and context, as well as visually attracting elements such as tone, color, and texture that allow us to feel wonder from the depicted sorcery.
One of the fascinating things about the context behind Pre-Raphaelite paintings is that they were often influenced by spiritualism and literature, and most always portrayed realism and the natural world. Goals of the Pre-raphaelite Brotherhood included changing art and rebelling against the victorian era of artwork; to which they accomplished by using dramatic realism to depict sacred subjects and images of everyday life, often featuring long-haired, beautiful women. The power of femininity represented in this art movement reflects the Pre-Rephaelite attitude towards women and erotic nature, much opposed to the victorian era's perspective on females. John William Waterhouse's paintings frequently illustrated prophecy, magic, and mystical scenarios, and were inspired by popular literature of the time period. In addition, his compositions regularly symbolized Pre-Raphaelite views.
Many areas of The Magic Circle have symbolic meanings, relevant to the rebellious nature of the Pre-Raphaelites. Firstly, on the outskirts of the woman, there is imagery, such as the skull, and ravens that perhaps symbolize dark forces, all the meanwhile the witch is drawing a circle around her and casting a spell. We can assume that the spell is good and the woman has positive energy by the display of flowers attached to the woman and within the circle, in addition to the lightness of the woman's dress and the use of rather feminine colors. With the idea that the woman is a witch casting a protective spell against dark forces surrounding her, it accurately conveys the Pre-Raphaelite views on female power, also, the mystical and magical imagery of the woman portrays their interest in femme fatale. Landscape is very much a part of the scene within the painting as it takes place in a rocky, bare, outdoor terrain, which is another depiction of the influence of the natural world in Pre-Raphaelite art. Many different cultures are present in the composition; the woman's hair appears to be of Anglo-Saxon style, yet she is holding a druid knife in her left hand and the end of her dress depicts greek art. Subject matter of the artwork is visually intriguing due to the wonder of the mystical, and is enhanced by the use of the art elements.
Deepening the feelings of positive and negative within the painting, tone has several responsibilities. Contrast of light and dark allows the viewer to feel the positivity and femininity of the woman, compared to her darker and uninviting surroundings. Pinks, whites, and greens in the flowers give comfort and support the depiction of the woman having good intentions with her magic. Also, the contrast between the dark blue-toned sky and the dusty brown land provides the idea that the ritual is taking place at night, which gives a more vulnerable feeling. Waterhouse's brush strokes supply the smoke with texture, setting forth the illusion that the smoke is moving; the smoke being a concoction of lighter colors rather than dark could also be an indicator of positivity within the magic.
To come to a conclusion, my opinion is that the painting is eye-catching, not only because of the magical subject matter and my fascination of divination, but also due to the way the art elements are presented, and how Waterhouse used them to intensify the scenario in the art. Anglo-Saxon representation of the woman also captures my interest since I have lineage dating back to that culture, and the detail of the magical tools is compelling.
Fowles, Frances. "The Magic Circle". Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/waterhouse-the-magic- circle-n01572. Accessed 21 September 2022.
Clark, Alannah. “The Magic Circle”. Sartle, https://www.sartle.com/artwork/the-magic-circle-john-william-waterhouse. Accessed 21 September 2022.
Hi Aleana! I love your art choice for this week’s analysis blog post. Reading the history of this type of painting was very interesting. I love that the artist was keen on showcasing a more spiritual side of women. It completely reminds me of a witch, but not in a negative way. More in a subtle way with the tone of the painting showing how it really has a more moody look to it. I do love how the white steam really adds to the picture, and her light blue dress and pale skin stands out against the background. It seems to tell a story with all of the details of the crows, what seems to be a weapon in her hand, and the stick that she uses to draw a circle around her. Great piece! I really enjoyed reading what you liked about it.
ReplyDeleteI love this piece! And I think you really did it justice with its analysis. I've noticed that there is a trend among changing time periods, specifically in art, where the latter era actively rejects and actually contradicts the ideals of the one before it. You described how the Pre-Rafaelite era rejected the ideals of the Victorian age, we can similarly see this in the way that the Italian Revolution's ideals contradicted that of the Medieval age which came previously. I also appreciate the subtle ways in which the positives and negatives within the painting tell the woman's story by insinuating her intentions. Great job on this post!
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