Endymion

A talk I delivered at the Watts Gallery

Endymion

G.F. Watts OMA RA

1903

'A Thing of beauty is a joy forever' is the first line of Keats' 1818 poem which tells the story of the classical myth of Endymion. Although he begins life as merely a shepherd of Asia Minor, Endymion's beauty wins the affections of Diana, the moon Goddess. She falls hopelessly in love with him and pleads with Zeus to grant him eternal life. Zeus complies, but cruelly grants Endymion only eternal sleep. Diana remains besotted and visits Endymion sleeping every night.

Watts first painted this subject in the 1860s but the first version finished in 1872 looked very different from this much later attempt.

This representation of the subject deals very much with the narrative of the story. Diana is every bit the classical Goddess; swathed in layers of fabric, flawless skin and long, flowing locks of hair. 

In 1885 Watts gave a paper entitled 'On the Purpose of Art', in which he said that 'the greatest art is that which deals with types...and appeals to the imagination and not merely the eye'. He said this in relation to the rapid development of photography which he believed captured nature so accurately that mimetic, representative art was no longer enough. Art should inspire and engage its audience: it should appeal to the soul.

In the later canvas, Watts paints Endymion as the solid base of the composition. He is obviously mortal and powerless to the moon Goddess. Diana is unrecognisable from the earlier painting; her body is gone and in its place an almost gas-like orb. She is shown to be spiritual and mythical through expression, rather than representation. She completely engulfs the sleeping Endymion, overpowering him with her love and desire. 

Endymion is naked, again an expressive feature used by Watts. This raw vulnerability allows the viewer to harbour empathetic feelings for the character and we too feel overwhelmed by the love of the Goddess. 

Eternity is shown in the circular composition of the piece. Whilst this allows the earthly coloured Endymion to complement the ethereal Diana in an almost ying and yang form, it also reflects the eternal love Diana feels and the power of the eternal spell Endymion is under.

Works like this are largely associated with the French Symbolist movement, whose artists believed their canvases were talisman that would transport any onlooker to the au dela or the beyond. This painting is saturated with subtle meaning and great spiritual force, perfectly ascribing to the Symbolist agenda. Watts himself said it was filled with moonshine, rather than simply alluding to the feather-light, pastel-like paint work he had used, he was most likely alluding to the great sense of presence the canvas has. It is a truly magical piece.