01 Paintings and tales of Mermaids, with Footnotes, 6c

Charles Haslewood Shannon, 1863-1937 

The Fisherman and the Mermaid, 1901/03

Oil on Canvas

Rusalkas are the Slavic counterpart of the Greek sirens and naiads. The nature of rusalkas varies among folk traditions, they all share a common element: they are the restless spirits of the unclean dead. They are usually the ghosts of young women who died a violent or untimely death, perhaps by murder or suicide, before their wedding and especially by drowning. Rusalkas are said to inhabit lakes and rivers. 

This early work both illustrated and was inspired by a poem by Goethe, which tells the story of a mermaid who rises from the waters to complain to a fisherman that he is enticing her children to death. Gradually the mermaid's own beauty lures the fisherman into the water and to oblivion. More on this painting

Charles Haslewood Shannon RA (26 April 1863 – 18 March 1937) was an English artist. He became best known for his portraits, which can be found in several major European collections, including the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Shannon attended the City and Guilds of London Art School, and was subsequently considerably influenced by his lifetime partner Charles Ricketts and by the example of the great Venetians. In his early work he was addicted to a heavy low tone, which he abandoned subsequently for clearer and more transparent colour. He achieved great success with his portraits and his Giorgionesque figure compositions, which are marked by a classic sense of style, and with his etchings and lithographic designs. More on Charles Haslewood Shannon 

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, and The Canals of Venice

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