Waterhouse Hylas and the Nymphs Manchester Art Gallery 1896

''Hylas and the Nymphs'' is an 1896 oil painting by

John William Waterhouse John William Waterhouse (6 April 184910 February 1917) was an English painter known for working first in the Academic style and for then embracing the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. His artworks were known for their de ...

. The painting depicts a moment from the Greek and Roman legend of the tragic youth Hylas, based on accounts by

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom ...

and other ancient writers, in which the enraptured Hylas is abducted by

Naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who ...

s (female water

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...

s) while seeking drinking water. ''Hylas and the Nymphs'' is exhibited in the

Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupies three ...

.''Hylas and the Nymphs''
Manchester Art Gallery

Background

Myth

Hylas was the son of King

Theiodamas In Greek mythology, the name Theiodamas or Thiodamas () may refer to: *Theiodamas, king of the Dryopes, father of Hylas by the nymph Menodice, daughter of Orion. The '' Bibliotheca'' and Apollonius Rhodius relate of him that one day when he was wor ...

of the Dryopians. After

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

killed Hylas's father, Hylas became a companion of Hercules and later his lover . They both became

Argonauts The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, ''Argo ...

, accompanying

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...

in his quest on his ship ''

Argo In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of ...

'' in seeking the

Golden Fleece In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where ...

. During the journey, Hylas was sent to find fresh water. He found a pond occupied by

s, and they lured Hylas into the water and he disappeared.

The painting

The painting measures . It depicts Hylas, a male youth in classical garb, wearing a blue tunic with a red sash, and bearing a wide-necked water jar. He is bending down beside a pond in a glade of lush green foliage, reaching out towards seven young women, the water nymphs, who are emerging from the pond among the leaves and flowers of

Nymphaeaceae Nymphaeaceae () is a family of flowering plants, commonly called water lilies. They live as rhizomatous aquatic herbs in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains nine genera with about 70 known species. Water ...

(water lilies), including an early depiction of the yellow waterlily, ''

Nuphar lutea ''Nuphar lutea'', the yellow water-lily, brandy-bottle, or spadderdock, is an aquatic plant of the family ''Nymphaeaceae'', native to northern temperate and some subtropical regions of Europe, northwest Africa, western Asia, North America, and ...

''. The nymphs are naked, their alabaster skin luminous in the dark but clear water, with yellow and white flowers in their auburn hair. They have very similar physical features, perhaps based on just two models. Hylas is being enticed to enter the water, from which he will not return. One of the nymphs holds his wrist and elbow, a second plucks at his tunic, and a third holds out some pearls in the palm of her hand. The face of Hylas in profile is shadowed and barely visible, but the faces of the nymphs are clearly visible as they gaze upon him. The scene is depicted from a slightly elevated position, looking down at the water like Hylas, so no sky is visible. Hylas's position forces the viewer's focus onto the nymphs in the water and the lack of reference to his relationship with Hercules emphasizes that the narrative of the painting is not about Hylas's experiences, but about the sinister nature of the nymphs. Some of Waterhouse's preparatory sketches are in the

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University o ...

in Oxford.

Significance

Hylas was a recurrent theme for British artists in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with examples by William Etty (1833) and

Henrietta Rae Henrietta Emma Ratcliffe Rae (30 December 1859 – 26 January 1928) was a British painter of the late Victorian era,Arthur Fish''Henrietta Rae (Mrs. Ernest Normand)'' London, Cassell & Co., 1905. who specialised in classical, allegorical and lite ...

(1910), and an earlier example by Waterhouse himself (1893). Waterhouse also painted other tragic youths from Greek legend, such as

Narcissus Narcissus may refer to: Biology * ''Narcissus'' (plant), a genus containing daffodils and others People * Narcissus (mythology), Greek mythological character * Narcissus (wrestler) (2nd century), assassin of the Roman emperor Commodus * Tiberiu ...

in '' Echo and Narcissus'' (1903) (at the

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History of the Gallery The Walker Art Gallery's collection ...

in Liverpool). His poem "Hercules and Hylas" was published by

Francis Burdett Thomas Coutts-Nevill Francis Burdett Thomas Nevill Money-Coutts, 5th Baron Latymer (18 September 1852 – 8 June 1923) was a London solicitor, poet, librettist, and wealthy heir to the fortune of the Coutts banking family. He is now remembered chiefly as a patron ...

in 1896. File:Young Hylas with the Water Nymphs by William Etty.jpg, William Etty, ''Young Hylas with the Water Nymphs'', 1833 File:A Naiad or Hylas with a Nymph by John William Waterhouse (1893).jpg, Waterhouse, ''A Naiad'' or ''Hylas with a Nymph'', 1893 File:Rae - Water Nymphs (color).png,

, ''Hylas and the Water Nymphs'', 1910

Display

The painting ''Hylas and the Nymphs'' was acquired from the artist by the

in 1896. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1897. In January 2018,

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

Clare Gannaway temporarily removed the painting from public display, after a decision "taken by gallery staff

long Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mensu ...

with artist

Sonia Boyce Sonia Dawn Boyce, (born 1962) is a British Afro-Caribbean artist and educator, living and working in London. She is a Professor of Black Art and Design at University of the Arts London. Boyce's research interests explore art as a social practic ...

." The decision, the curator stated, was "influenced by recent movements against the objectification and exploitation of women" such as the MeToo campaign and the

Presidents Club The Presidents Club Charitable Trust was a British charity known for an annual charity dinner held from 1985 to 2018. The dinner, held usually at The Dorchester hotel in London, was for male guests only and was considered a "mainstay of London's ...

controversy. She denied the removal constituted any form of

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

, stating, "we want to see this as the start of a process, not an end point," and providing visitors with Post-It notes to air their views; meantime, postcards of the painting were removed from the gift shop. A "strong backlash" followed the decision.

Art historian Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today, ...

and author

Elizabeth Prettejohn Elizabeth Francesca Prettejohn (born 15 May 1961) is an art historian and author of several books about art history. Her books have included '' Rossetti and his Circle'' (1997), ''The Art of the Pre-Raphaelites'' (2000) and ''Art for Art's Sake ...

, who had previously curated a Waterhouse exhibition at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

, disputed the claims about "public debate", stating that "taking he paintingoff display is killing any kind of debate that you might be able to have." After one week, the

Manchester City Council Manchester City Council is the local authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. Manchester is the sixth largest city in England by population. Its city council is composed of 96 councillors, three f ...

, which runs the gallery, returned the painting to the wall. "It's been clear that many people feel very strongly about the issues raised," stated the council in the announcement.

Notes

References

* * {{Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Paintings by John William Waterhouse Collection of Manchester Art Gallery 1896 paintings Bathing in art Nymphs Painting controversies