[57434] Manchester Art Gallery : Expectation

Manchester Art Gallery.

Expectation.

By John William Godward (1861-1922).

Oil on canvas, 1900.

 

Balcony scene in a classical setting. A young woman lies stretched out on a marble balcony seat, facing the left of the picture. She lies on her front, on a tiger skin rug, propping her head up with her right arm, a black feather fan with an elaborate handle in her left hand, hanging down the side of the seat. She is dressed in a salmon pink dress with yellow patterned fabric wrapped around her middle, and a blue sash securing the loose dress fabric. Her dark, thick hair is pinned at the back of her head. The ends of the balcony walls are decorated with stone heads of gods. A mature tree grows next to the balcony on the far left, the tops of trees showing above the balcony wall on the right. The sea is visible in the background, with coastline in the distance, below a bright blue sky.

 

Godward painted everyday scenes in the costume of the ancient past. He was no antique scholar, and aimed at a general classical look rather than worrying about the accuracy of his props. This painting shows off one of his finer skills: capturing the veins and stains on blocks of marble.

 

 

Done