Jason and Medea 1907

John William Waterhouse’s painting, Jason and Medea, captures a moment of fraught stillness. I imagine him, lost in the story, carefully mixing shades of crimson and ochre to conjure up Medea's inner turmoil. She sits there, a vision in red, the very picture of composure, as she prepares her dark magic. You can almost feel the weight of the chalice she holds, the cool smoothness of the potion bottle in her hands. Jason, ever the oblivious hero, stands by, his fate hanging in the balance. Waterhouse, he's not just painting a scene; he's inviting us into a theatre of emotion. His rich colors and careful details are a window into the characters' hidden depths. You look closely and you begin to wonder what she's really thinking.