Art on the doorstep

Autumn
John William Godward
1861-1922

John ordered this framed print from a place in Georgia called the Illusions Gallery. Printed on stretched canvas with added brush-stroking; it looks as real as any reproduction can. But what's slick about Illusions Gallery is you can pick the frame online and see in advance how it will look with your print. We sure don't need more pictures, but John said it was an impulse purchase and it's fun looking at something new. I found a nice place for it in a corner of the bedroom.

The story of this artist is a sad one. He was late to the pre-Raphaelite party, and his style of painting was falling out of style when he got started. Picasso came on the scene and was suddenly hot stuff. Godward's family disapproved of his art career and broke off all contact with him when he moved to Italy with one of his models in 1912. Most of his paintings feature women in classical settings-- ancient Rome was a major source of inspiration. The poor man committed suicide at the age of 61 and wrote in his note that "the world was not big enough" for him and Picasso. His family destroyed all this papers, but fortunately not his art. There are no known photographs of him.

Leisure Hours

The Tambourine Girl

Memories

A Pompeian Lady

A Souvenir