The Pre-Raphaelite painters, including Waterhouse, are praised for the rich colors of their artwork and the loftiness of their themes, which represent characters from ancient mythology and high poetry. Although his paintings share many common features with Maxfield Parrish, Waterhouse’s subjects are in no way asexual. They are figures of striking beauty, a beauty that is the form of deadly temptation.
The Siren, of course, is the most familiar form of feminine tempter. Her voice draws ships off course, forcing them to crash into the rocks, drowning their crews. Waterhouse’s siren, lacking a voice, must show her temptation with her body. There are some clear similarities between Waterhouse and Parrish, especially in their emphasis on profile. Here, Waterhouse works harder to emphasize the shapely nose and strong chin by contrasting them with her russet-red hair. Waterhouse also emphasizes the line of her jaw, showing the importance of a taut skin and muscles of the neck. Although similar, the bodies of Waterhouse’s figures are fleshier than those of Parrish. Consider the extended leg of the woman on the left in Contentment and the legs of the siren. See how much more fleshy depression we see in the siren’s leg. Waterhouse also shows us the small rolls of fat under the siren’s small breast and the feminine paunch of her stomach. This woman has a very realistic body, but one that is so beautiful the drowning sailor’s eyes are wide with awe, completely absorbed by the sight of her.
In Waterhouse’s more famous Hylas and the Nymphs, we see a very similar beauty replicated many times. The bright skin of the nymphs contrasts sharply against the dark water and vegetation and also the dun color of Hylas’ weather-browned hide. Again notice the nose, chin, and neck of the central nymph. In this painting, it the women’s eyes we see, and though their slender hands are on Hylas’ arm and his indigo chiton, it is their eyes that pull him–and us–in.
In Lamia, Waterhouse shows this Libyan queen before her transformation into the devouring half-serpent. In her case, her beauty is her own doom. The only hint we have of her future fate
is the python-patterned shawl in her lap.Interestingly, Waterhouse foreshadows the dangerous nature of her beauty by showing that she herself is entranced by it as she stares at her reflection in the still pool.
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