J・ W・ウォーターハウスの《アポロとダフネ》における樹木への変身─人間と自然の境界の揺らぎが生む緊張―

抄録

John William Waterhouse exhibited Apollo and Daphne in 1908, thereafter he retouched Apollo’s right hand and moved it away from Daphne’s body. However, before the modification, Apollo’s right hand was touching her shoulder. This paper shows that the modified representation of the hand and constructure of two figures crossing their gaze at each other emphasise tension beneath the moment of metamorphosis into a tree, pointing out some new image sources of this painting in contemporary works by Arthur Hacker, Henrietta Rae, and Edward Burne-Jones. Furthermore, this painting, which shows a body metamorphosing into a tree, resonates with ‘primal sympathies with nature’ advocated by John Addington Symonds in the late 19th century Britain. Symonds argued that humans have an instinct like satyr proximity to nature, even in a highly educated and civilised society. This satyric instinct connected to madness can make the boundary between humans and nature ambiguous, and can include risks that threaten British dominance over the colonies, so it evokes tension. Waterhouse’s Apollo and Daphne can be interpreted as a work painted in such a cultural context.