CIRCE PAINTINGS BY JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE IN THE CONTEXT OF FEMINISM

Abstract

Feminism is a way of thinking that deals with the pressures, obstacles and difficulties women experience due to their being women, and includes the elimination of these separating attitudes and the struggle of women to be equal with men in all areas of life. The fact that women are not equated with men in social life goes back a long time. The Middle Ages can be defined as a dark age in terms of equality between women and men, as in many other aspects. In this context, it was found important that the majority of those killed during the witch age period in the Middle Ages were women and most of these women were healers who benefited from nature. Witches are defined as a concept in which nature and women are together as the enemy of the patriarchal system. In this article, depictions of women witches increasing in the art of painting following witch courts will be mentioned, the concept of femme fatale into which the image of a witch has transformed, and the paintings of Circe, the femme fatale (the woman who caused disaster), one of the important painters of her time, will be examined in the context of feminism. Waterhouse, one of the painters of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, depicted scenes from different stories, influenced by one of the most common features of the movement, mythological stories and poems. Choosing the most critical scenes of these stories, Waterhouse reinforces the image of a strong, wild woman. Can Circe be a symbol of the Feminine Power in the face of the perceptions and social pressures that are being tried to be destroyed, oppressed, not allowed to be herself, and still continue today? Keywords: Circe, Feminism, Waterhouse, femme fatale