English 1861-1922 Godward was a Victorian Neo-classicist, and therefore a follower in theory of Frederic Leighton. However, he is more closely allied stylistically to Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, with whom he shared a penchant for the rendering of Classical architecture, in particular, static landscape features constructed from marble. The vast majority of Godward's extant images feature women in Classical dress, posed against these landscape features, though there are some semi-nude and fully nude figures included in his oeuvre (a notable example being In The Tepidarium (1913), a title shared with a controversial Alma-Tadema painting of the same subject that resides in the Lady Lever Art Gallery). The titles reflect Godward's source of inspiration: Classical civilisation, most notably that of Ancient Rome (again a subject binding Godward closely to Alma-Tadema artistically), though Ancient Greece sometimes features, thus providing artistic ties, albeit of a more limited extent, with Leighton. Given that Classical scholarship was more widespread among the potential audience for his paintings during his lifetime than in the present day, meticulous research of detail was important in order to attain a standing as an artist in this genre. Alma-Tadema was, as well as a painter, an archaeologist who attended historical sites and collected artefacts that were later used in his paintings: Godward, too, studied such details as architecture and dress, in order to ensure that his works bore the stamp of authenticity. In addition, Godward painstakingly and meticulously rendered those other important features in his paintings, animal skins (the paintings Noon Day Rest (1910) and A Cool Retreat (1910) contain superb examples of such rendition) and wild flowers (Nerissa (1906), illustrated above, and Summer Flowers (1903) are again excellent examples of this). The appearance of beautiful women in studied poses in so many of Godward's canvases causes many newcomers to his works to categorise him mistakenly as being Pre-Raphaelite, particularly as his palette is often a vibrantly colourful one. However, the choice of subject matter (ancient civilisation versus, for example, Arthurian legend) is more properly that of the Victorian Neoclassicist: however, it is appropriate to comment that in common with numerous painters contemporary with him, Godward was a 'High Victorian Dreamer', producing beautiful images of a world which, it must be said, was idealised and romanticised, and which in the case of both Godward and Alma-Tadema came to be criticised as a world-view of 'Victorians in togas'.  Related Paintings of John William Godward :. | At the Thermae | By the Wayside | The Tambourine Girl | Idleness | Does He Love me |
Related Artists:
Antonio Pollaiuolo
1431-1498 Italian Antonio Pollaiuolo Galleries Sculptor, painter, designer and engraver. He was trained as a goldsmith and bronze sculptor, probably in Lorenzo Ghiberti workshop. In 1466 he joined the Arte della Seta, the silkworkers guild (to which goldsmiths traditionally belonged), and he listed himself as a goldsmith and painter in the membership records of the Compagnia di S Luca in 1473; this is the only documented reference to him as a painter. In his tax return in 1480 he reported that he was renting a workshop specifically for goldsmiths work. He still described himself as a goldsmith, and not as a painter, in his last tax return in 1496.
Robert Peake the Elder
1576-1626 British Robert Peake Gallery
abel faivre
Il tudie trois ans l'École des beaux-arts de Lyon, puis a la Societe nationale et a l'Academie Julian de Paris aupres de Jules Lefebvre et Benjamin Constant. Il a souvent expose a la societe des Artistes Francais et a ete medaille de 3e classe a l'Exposition de 1894. Medaille d'honneur a l'Exposition de Lyon, il aurait vecu et travaill?? a La Croix-Valmer (Var) ou un boulevard porte son nom. Il est devenu celebre par ses affiches pour soutenir l'effort de guerre francais (1914-1918). Il a egalement travaille pour le journal humoristique Le Rire et pour Le Figaro. Ses caricatures sont visibles au Musee Jean Jaures a Castres. À titre indicatif, un exemplaire original de son affiche Sports d'Hiver, Chamonix datant de 1905 etait estime a 6000 £ par une celebre salle de ventes en 2002. Une huile sur toile La Belle Odalisque (89x61 cm) se vendit 8 000 euros en 2006.