John William Godward - paintings

[GOLDEN HOURS (EXPECTANCY)]

signed J. W. GODWARD and dated 1913 (lower left); inscribed EXPECTANCY/ J. W. GODWARD/ ...ROME/ 1913 on verso and
One of my Masterpieces, J.W. Godward on the stretcher
oil on canvas
Diameter: 39 in. 99.1 cm

ESTIMATE 500,000 - 700,000 USD

Rome, Internationale, 1913
Paris, Exposition Universelle, 1914
Brussels, Exposition Internationale, 1919

Vern Grosvenor Swanson, John William Godward, The Eclipse of Classicism, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1997, p. 233,
no. 1913.3, illustrated pl. 80, p. 103

British painter John William Godward, one of the foremost Victorian Neoclassicists, built an illustrious career upon creating images of beautiful Grecian goddesses in lavish Arcadian settings. Though greatly influenced by his mentor, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Godward distinguished himself through his predilection for the solitary female figure. In his study of Victorian painters of classical subjects, Christopher Wood described Godward's career: "...the best, and the most serious of Alma-Tadema's followers was John William Godward... All his life he devoted himself only to classical subjects, invariably involving girls in classical robes on marble terraces, but painted with a degree of technical mastery that almost rivals that of Alma-Tadema. Godward was also an admirer of Lord Leighton, and his figures do sometimes achieve a monumentality lacking in the work of most of Alma-Tadema's followers" (Christopher Wood, Olympian Dreamers, Victorian Classical Painters 1860-1914, London, 1983, p. 247).

Golden Hours (Expectancy) is a particularly compelling example of Godward's work; the female figure is undoubtedly one of his most beautiful models. The unique perspective and format are extremely successful; the foreshortening convincingly creates the illusion of a recession into space, which extends back to the distant mountains. The viewer feels as if witnessing the scene through a lens, and the model likewise peers back under the shade of her fan. Golden Hours (Expectancy) was clearly a personal favorite of the artist, who inscribed "One of my masterpieces" on the stretcher. Rather than selling it immediately upon its completion, Godward retained it in his personal collection and exhibited it three times internationally between 1913 and 1919. Godward based its composition on preliminary drawings, one of which is preserved in his 1913-14 sketchbook.



[THE BOUQUET]

signed J. W. GODWARD and dated 99 (lower left)
oil on canvas
29 7/8 by 19 7/8 in.
75.7 by 50.4 cm

ESTIMATE 250,000 - 300,000 USD

[SOFT FALLS THE EVENTIDE]

inscribed on the reverse SOFT FALLS THE EVENTIDE/J.W. GODWARD/ROME/1916
oil on canvas
40 by 20 1/8 in.
101.6 by 51.1 cm

ESTIMATE 200,000 - 300,000 USD