Outside the circle the landscape is bare and barren a group of rooks or ravens and a frog вЂ“ all symbols of evil and associated with witchcraft вЂ“ are excluded. With the wand in her right hand she draws a protective magic circle round her. In her left hand she holds a crescent-shaped sickle, linking her with the moon and Hecate. Her dress and general appearance is highly eclectic, and is derived from several sources: she has the swarthy complexion of a woman of middle-eastern origin her hairstyle is like that of an early Anglo-Saxon her dress is decorated with Persian or Greek warriors. The woman in this picture appears to be a witch or priestess, endowed with magic powers, possibly the power of prophecy.

This is one of WaterhouseвЂ™s earlier works, and reflects his fascination with the exotic. His oeuvre also includes a number of middle-eastern subjects, in which he drew on the work of contemporary artists such as J.F Lewis (1805-76) and Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912), rather than on actual experience. More specifically, the notion of woman as enchantress is one that recurs in images such as Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysees (1891, Oldham Art Gallery) and Hylas and the Nymphs (1896, Manchester City Art Gallery). Instead, it accesses a liminal and imaginative space where otherness and the unknown can be explored.Miracles, magic and the power of prophecy are common themes in WaterhouseвЂ™s art. It does not seek to represent a particular character, time, or place. As the Tate Museum notes, the painting вЂњreflects his fascination with the exotic.вЂќ Thus, The Magic Circle is a window to a fantastical world that bears no resemblance to reality. More than anything else, The Magic Circle is a painting about the unknown. There is no specific, identifiable subject intended. Taken together, this setting and the symbols it contains convey a mishmash of different cultures, ideas, and traditions. The eponymous magic circle is a physical and spiritual divide between two states of being. Ravens and frogs, symbols of evil, are clustered outside the circle while the woman stands inside surrounded by flowers. The painting captures her in the act of drawing a circle around herself in the ground. She stands over a boiling cauldron that billows steam. The woman seems to be in the middle of some sort of ritual. The background is vague and hazy, but it seems to represent some sort of arid climate. She holds a crescent-shaped sickle in her hand, which links her to the moon and Hecate, according to my research.

The central figure is a woman in a long blue dress decorated with a warrior motif. The Magic Circle, however, represents one of WaterhouseвЂ™s earliest forays into portraying witchcraft. He was particularly fascinated by the mythological figure, Circe, a witch who plays a prominent role in HomerвЂ™s Odyssey. Over and over again, Waterhouse painted women engaged in acts of prophecy or enchantment. Pre-Raphaelite painter John William Waterhouse returned to the idea of magic many times throughout his career. As the month of October continues, I want to share another piece of art that captures the supernatural spirit of the Halloween season.

J w waterhouse the magic circle