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.
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