MONTREAL — Welcome to the wonderful world of John William Waterhouse.

If you're thinking all flowery femme fatales and damsels in distress, think again. There are mysticism, magic and mermaids with hidden agendas, too.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts presents "J.W. Waterhouse: Garden of Enchantment," the first major retrospective about the artist outside London's Royal Academy of Arts and the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands. On exhibit are some 80 colorful and sumptuous oil paintings from the renowned Victorian-era British artist. The accompanying guided tour is a treat, led by docent Hassie Wittenberg.

Waterhouse was born in Rome to British artist parents in 1849. The family ventured back to London while he was still a youngster. At an early age, he always helped in his father's studio, and by 1870 he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Arts where he would flourish as an artist.

Wittenberg said Waterhouse was a master of certain techniques. While he often offered hints of impressionism in his works, he was a Royal Academy alum through and through. A number of forms repeat throughout, such as an ineffectual slumping pose, a tripod, flowers both vibrant and wilted, a mirror, a lion's head. The artist also subtly places himself in a number of paintings from time to time as well.

The trademark Waterhouse girl is evident throughout much of his works, including "Destiny," which was painted in 1900 at the time of the Boer War.

"It's the idealistic female image," Wittenberg said. "She's the personification of Britain."

Wittenberg points out a number of important attributes within the painting. For one, Destiny wears the colors of the British flag in her dress. A sash, strategically placed around her waist, symbolizes fertility. A Bible is present as is a globe and a sailboat reflected in a mirror. Parts of the globe and the sails of the ship are painted in a golden hue — Britain rules the seas and the world.

DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
But perhaps the most famous of all the Waterhouse works and women is the "Lady of Shalott."

"He was obsessed with the Lady of Shalott," Wittenberg said.

Waterhouse painted a number of works in the Lady of Shalott series over time. Four are displayed under the Museum of Fine Arts roof — a rare occurrence.

"She was a fairy written about in the poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson," Wittenberg said. "And she is confined to a tower much like the Victorian woman."

The damsel in distress in question is indeed relegated to life reflected by a mirror. She weaves tapestry like a proper Victorian woman would. She also dreams of Camelot as lovers in the distance cross a bridge to the fabled land.

"Her pose is sensual but also shows a sense of frustration," Wittenberg said. "She wants to experience love and life."

But if lady would dare look out the window instead of the mirror, it's off to Hades and the underworld for her, the docent added. By the third painting displayed, the mirror has shattered, meaning the Lady of Shalott has indeed broken her own Victorian golden rule. She must now get into the boat and travel down the river to Hades. Look for all Tennyson's symbols in the painting such as the chains that bind, a candle about to be snuffed out and knights in shining armor arriving two by two.

"Waterhouse creates a pictorial narrative of the poem," Wittenberg said.

Incidentally, Tennyson's poem is written on the nearby museum wall — a very nice touch.

One painting of the series, on loan from the Tate Gallery, is the mostly widely reproduced postcard in the world of art.

"And we didn't know until the last minute that we were getting this one for the exhibition," Wittenburg said. "This was a coup."

By World War I, the popular art of Waterhouse fell out of favor.

"Some viewed his work as trivial against the casualties of war," the docent said.

But Waterhouse enjoyed a resurgence around the 1960s when Brit pop culture — from Twiggy to the Beatles — was all the rage.

"There began a slow trickle of appreciation," Wittenberg said. "Like a fashion. Today, he's recognized once again."

"Garden of Enchantment" continues through Feb. 7.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is at 1379 Sherbrooke St. W. (Metro Guy-Concordia). Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. Admission for "Expanding Horizons" costs $15 for adults. Admission costs $7.50 from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday evenings. Guided English tours are usually held at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and 11 a.m. Saturdays. Call (514) 285-2000 or visit www.mmfa.qc.ca.

E-mail Steven Howell at: writeonbetty@sympatico.ca