Do you have a favorite painting? My favorite is John William Waterhouse's 1888 "The Lady of Shalott," depicting a scene from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 1832 poem of the same name. I was actually unaware until recently that it is one of three paintings Waterhouse did of this same woman, allegedly confined to the indoors by a curse which she eventually defies. In the oil-on-canvas to which I am referring, the Lady is in a canoe, surrounded by belongings rich with symbolism and vibrant in color, and on her way to her death. Some folks find the painting disturbing or too haunting to look at, but I have always been drawn to the Lady's forlornness and angst (perhaps the songwriter in me?) reflective of what I believe to be her unrequited love for Sir Lancelot. It's stunningly gorgeous and I have owned a print of it for decades.
How about you? What has captured your eye and why?