Title of Artwork: “Consulting the Oracle”
Artwork by John William Waterhouse
Year Created 1884
Summary of Consulting the Oracle
John William Waterhouse painted Consulting the Oracle in oil on canvas. It was painted by Waterhouse in 1884, and “The Illustrated London News described it as one of the chief works of the year,” as Anthony Hobson puts it. Hobson says that the painting has a “keyhole composition” because a cluster of women are arranged in a circle and all stare intently at one another (the priestess).
Hobson continues by saying that the picture proves Waterhouse’s “classical, geometrical structures…the vertical, the horizontal, and the circle,” which serve “to establish Waterhouse as a classical painter.” Whenever he introduces a diagonal—as in “the slanted figure of the priestess” or the misplaced rug—he does so on purpose to heighten the drama.
Information Citations:
En.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/.
