John William Godward - In the Tepidarium

John William Godward - In the Tepidarium, a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

John William Godward (Wimbledon, August 9, 1861 – London, December 13, 1922) was an English painter from the end of the Pre-Raphaelite / Neo-Classicist era. He was a protégé of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema but his style of painting fell out of favour with the arrival of painters like Picasso. He committed suicide at the age of 61 and is said to have written in his suicide note that "the world was not big enough" for him and a Picasso. His already estranged family, who had disapproved of him becoming an artist, were ashamed of his suicide and burned his papers. No photographs of Godward are known to survive.

[Private Collection - Oil on canvas, 98.5 x 48.5 cm]

John William Godward - Reverie [1904]

John William Godward - Reverie [1904], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Lost in her thoughts, a languid young woman lounges on a smooth, veined marble bench terminating in a figure, probably representing the type of the poet Homer with its heavy beard, thick hair and narrow ribbon around the head. The cloth wrapped around her hips, over her silky chiton, or tunic, is not an authentic element of ancient costume, but it bears a repeated palmette (fan-shaped leaves) border based on a common ancient design. The fluffy, spotted animal fur is almost tactile but has no specific connection to antiquity. John William Godward (British, 1861 - 1922) probably included it for the delight of juxtaposing such varied textures and colors. He painted the silk, fur, and marble with great accuracy, approaching photographic realism, and arranged them to enliven the subtly colored composition. 

[Oil on canvas, 23 x 29 inches]

John William Godward - Mischief and Repose [1895]

John William Godward - Mischief and Repose [1895], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

A young woman reclines on a tiger skin on a marble ledge while her companion teases her with a dress pin. They are dressed in diaphanous robes fashioned after chitons worn by women in ancient Greece. Another dress pin and the reclining woman's hair ribbon lie scattered on the marble floor. 

For over half a century after the continued excavations of Pompeii began in 1748, artists were fascinated with Greek and Roman life. John William Godward painted many scenes like this one of idealised beauties in calm, often sterile environments. In this painting, the figure of Repose is arranged seductively, with her breast and nipple showing through the thin material of her dress. But there is something distinctly untouchable about these women; they do not engage the viewer with an inviting gaze nor solicit personal contact. Like their antique setting, they possess a monumental, marmoreal quality, resembling Greek statues frozen in time.

[Oil on canvas, 23 x 51.5 inches]