Tranquility

Tranquility by John William Godward is dated to 1914 and features many of the elements typical of this famous artist.

Description

The female model relaxes in a comfortable posture, whilst wearing classical attire which is found in many Godward paintings. She sits on a marbled outdoor bench, with sculptured features and besides her we find a pretty garden with red petals adorning the scene.

A small pathway runs between the two sections, suggesting a carefully curated private garden, and a rocky landscape appears in the far distance, lying on the other side of a large expanse of bright blue water. The top right corner is then filled with a vertical plant which helps to connect the foreground and background together.

Besides the female model, we also see a fan with some flowers laid out upon the marble bench. Additionally, there are some flowers and petals strewn on the floor, which appear to hold something of a symbolic value. The young lady herself looks across to our right hand side, leaving a disconnect between the viewer and herself.

Details of the Painting

The artwork is listed as being 20 × 32 inches approximately, and completed in 1914.

Reduced Output

Godward is known to have reduced his output of paintings at around this point, having travelled to Italy and around England leading up to around 1915. He would suffer health issues shortly after completing this painting and so chose to reduce his work commitments, whilst still working as a professional painter.

The artist passed away in 1922, just eight years after completing this painting - underlining the impact that his health was having in the preceding years.

Location

Tranquility is featured in Vern Grosvenor Swanson's J.W. Godward, PP144, and the image of it is provided courtesy of Jerome and Susan Davis, who are presumably the present owners of the painting.

Artistic Style

Godward was one of a number of British painters who were inspired in the Victorian Age by Roman-Greek architecture and clothing. His success came about during the peak of this movement, and its prominence drifted away shortly after his death. Godward to to become one of the biggest names within the group, with his work being appreciated for many of the qualities found present in Tranquility.

The long, delicate robe, feminine, subtle features of the young female model, and her classical sandles which appear from beneath her dress are examples of this. There is also the use of marble, which Godward mastered brilliantly, and the bright skies with clear blue water which took British art lovers away from their own lands, and transported them to this enchanting world.

Large Image