Echo and Narcissus 1903

Editor: John William Waterhouse’s “Echo and Narcissus,” created in 1903. It’s a stunning composition of light and color that seems to perfectly capture a melancholic mood. The figures and setting are so lifelike. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: Looking at the physical creation of Waterhouse's piece, I immediately consider the artist’s chosen media. The rich saturation achieved hints at layering possibly of gouache and oil pastel on top of the more standard base of oil paint, perhaps even acrylics. Can we know with any certainty the precise methods he employed, including use of underpainting? Editor: It’s difficult to know the specifics exactly. So how does the creation impact our understanding? Curator: Absolutely, it frames our analysis of his process! Pre-Raphaelite artists like Waterhouse sought to create beauty and also evoke idealized concepts like the tragic implications of obsessive vanity, yet, these pieces became commodities traded on the open market to establish artistic careers, using methods of production. So where does that leave an artist and his intention? The mythology theme contrasts the art world as a vehicle for ambition and aspiration, while illustrating these themes so adeptly. Editor: So, it's a constant push and pull, between these ideas of creation and commodification, of method and mythology. Curator: Exactly! The labour is veiled, yet intrinsic, and without its careful materiality and construction we could not explore its story as vividly as we do. It challenges a division, suggesting that the making of a watercolour illustration and that of a chalk pastel drawing, for instance, should be re-evaluated, and such categories need not stand alone as lesser art. The consumption, the story, relies equally on all the craft. Editor: That makes me appreciate the layering of techniques that are visible in Waterhouse’s work. It has become less a scene and more the evidence of artistic choices, influenced by industry. Curator: And there you have it – layers of materials reflecting layers of meaning.