Signed and dated '98, oil on canvas (Dimensions: 76cm x 61cm (30in x 24in))

(76cm x 61cm (30in x 24in))

Footnote: Provenance: The Late Dr Helen E C Cargill Thompson Note: The model is Miss Ethel Warwick who was sixteen when she posed for this picture We are grateful to Dr Vern G Swanson for his assistance in cataloguing this entry. It is no.7 in his catalogue raisonne which he has updated. The details of Godward’s personal life are relatively vague. His choice to pursue a career as a painter went against his family wishes and this disapproval was compounded when he left England for Italy with one of his models. It is believed that at this point he became estranged from his relations to such an extent that they removed his likeness from family pictures. He remained in Italy for almost a decade, only returning home in 1921. In 1922 he died by suicide, with notes left by him indicating that he was struggling with his place in an artistic world that was now largely interested in the modern and contemporary. The circumstances of his death were considered a source of great shame to his family and so they destroyed much of his archive and papers; it is believed there remains only one photograph of the artist. There was drama and sadness in his personal life but this never spilled over into Godward’s painting. A loyal follower of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and similarly inspired by classical civilization, particularly Ancient Rome, his works depict elegant women in classical dress, lounging against architectural features. His paintings are characterised by exquisite and meticulous detail. There had been a widespread taste for this style of painting and subject matter in-line with a wider cultural interest in classical study and so to be successful in this style of painting required a high level of accuracy and precision; Godward carefully researched architecture and dress to make sure every detail in his painting was right. He often exhibited at the Royal Academy and as the eminent scholar on Godward’s work, Dr Vern G. Swanson, indicates; he ‘quickly established a reputation for his paintings of young women in a classical setting and his ability to convey with sensitivity and technical mastery the feel of contrasting textures, flesh, marble, fur and fabrics.’ This is evident in the offered work, where Godward beautifully renders the cool, smooth marble framing the figure in marked contrast to the soft fabric folds of her gown while behind her a verdant expanse of overlapping lavender and red poppies unfold before further architectural columns and sculpture appear. The scene is a vision of sumptuousness and beauty, meticulous depicted by a talented hand. Godward’s approach has been referred to as that of a ‘High Victorian Dreamer.’ Technically, he can be considered a Victorian Neo-Classicist, though at times his strong colour and posed subject have seen him be grouped with the Pre-Raphaelites, despite a differing inspiration source. Within his lifetime, this approach fell out of fashion and though Godward remained committed to the art he loved, he did struggle to find his place as taste moved away from his work. Fortunately, his mastery of his craft and the enduring human interest in the beautiful and sumptuous means favour has returned to his work since his death. Fashions evolve but quality and harmony endure and this exquisite work is rich in both.