Murielle: The Story of a Model, a Painting, and the Artistry of John William Waterhouse (Paperback)

by James Kaye (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The story is an intimate glimpse into the life of the young model whose charming innocence and demeanor enamored the Romanticist artist John William Waterhouse. Her statuesque beauty with a lovely profile and long hair inspired the artist's romantic painting, "La Belle Dame sans Merci" (front cover, 1893), based in part on the epic poem of the same name by John Keats (1819). "I met a Lady full beautiful, a faery's child. Her hair was long. She took me to her elfin grot and there we slumbered on the moss" (excerpted from the poem).

"Muriélle" is a story of sexual awakening in the 1890s when, despite moral and social inhibitions, art history was "littered with liaisons between artists and models." The "fin-de-siécle" era of Victorian morality was one of fast changing attitudes, life styles, and behavior for young women that had been traditionally unacceptable. Muriélle is a naive young woman who bridged gaps between adolescence and adulthood, but not without trials and tribulations. When coming of age she was forced early on into conflict with her moralistic upbringing, the objections of a pious mother, and the challenges of sitting as a figure model.

First published in 2000, the rewritten 2004 edition adds an in-depth treatise on the poem, the poet, and the painter that speaks further of the romanticism of nineteenth century art and literature.

From the Author
While much is known of the professional life of John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) little is known of him privately, and less of his model. No diaries, journals, letters, or personal papers of either are known to exist that could reveal much about them. "Muriélle" is, however, based on real characters, places, works of art, and life of the times.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corporation (May 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401079431
• ISBN-13: 978-1401079437
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,717,505 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars pretty good story, May 3, 2009

By	J. L. Faber "cybrarian" (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I enjoyed this book. It is fiction, and the author is pretty clear about it. There is no way to know for sure if Waterhouse had an affair with his model, Muriel Foster, but this book is an interesting take on what may have happened. It is a very light read, very much like a romance novel, with very little historical references. I was fine with that. I often wonder about the beautiful women in the Waterhouse paintings, so this book piqued my interest.