The artwork titled “Ophelia,” created by John William Waterhouse in 1889, represents an exquisite oil on canvas painting measuring 97.79 x 158.12 cm. This piece, which falls under the Romanticism movement and is categorized as a literary painting, is currently held in a private collection.
In this evocative composition, the artist portrays Ophelia, a character from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” lying gracefully in a meadow. The serene and tragic scene captures Ophelia clad in a white gown, which stands in stark contrast against the dark and dense forest backdrop. She is surrounded by lush greenery and scattered flowers, enhancing the sense of both beauty and melancholy integral to the narrative. The meticulous attention to the details of nature and the soft rendering of Ophelia’s form evoke a poignant emotional response, encapsulating the essence of Romanticism’s fascination with beauty, nature, and tragedy.