John William Waterhouse
The Magic Circle (1886)
oil on canvas
183 cm x 127 cm
Tate Britain, London
Waterhouse prestou uma cuidadosa atenção aos ângulos empregados neste trabalho, equilibrando o círculo que a figura desenha em torno de si usando um triângulo - seu braço reto, estendido pelo bastão reto, estendido a 25 graus em direção ao corpo ereto. O poder da bruxa é enfatizado pelo rosto determinado, por sua exclusão dos corvos e rãs - símbolos populares representando a magia - e por seu comando sobre o pilar de fumaça. Em vez de ondular para fora ou ser afetado pelo vento, ele permanece em linha reta. Uma cobra viva, ouroboros, dando voltas ao redor do pescoço da mulher.
John William Waterhouse
Miranda - The Tempest (1916)
oil on canvas
100.4 cm x 137.8 cm
Private collection
The Magic Circle by J. W. Waterhouse (1886)
In a style typical of Waterhouse, the main character is a lone, female figure, placed centrally on the canvas. The surrounding landscape is hazy, as though it is not quite real, and the background figures are only discernible on close inspection, deliberately ensuring the witch is the only image of importance.
Waterhouse paid careful attention to the angles employed in this work, balancing the circle the figure is drawing around herself by the use of a triangle – her straight arm, extended by the straight stick, held out at 25 degrees to her erect body. The witch's power is emphasized by the determined face, by her exclusion of the ravens and frog – popular symbols representing magic – and by her command over the smoke pillar. Instead of billowing outwards or being affected by the wind, it remains in a straight line. A live snake ouroboros loops around the woman's neck.
Miranda - The Tempest by J. W. Waterhouse (1916)
The Magic Circle is similar in composition to Waterhouse's later picture, Miranda (1916), also a woman associated with magic. The witch wears a similar dress to Miranda and her face can also only be seen in profile. Unlike Frederick Sandys' portrayals of sorceresses, such as his Medea (1868) or Morgan le Fay (1864), Waterhouse chose to make his witch's face intent and intriguing, as opposed to malevolent.
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