Who Can They Be 1918

"Who Can They Be" was made with oil on canvas by John William Godward sometime around the turn of the 20th Century. Godward painstakingly worked to recreate a highly idealised, romantic vision of antiquity. The paint is applied in thin layers, creating a smooth, almost porcelain-like surface, especially evident in the rendering of the woman’s skin. The texture of the marble balustrade, the folds of the draped fabric, and the distant landscape, are all rendered with an astonishing degree of detail. Look closely at the way Godward captures the light as it catches the folds of the woman's yellow tunic; see how these strokes add to a sense of depth and volume, creating an illusion of almost tangible texture. Godward's work often brings to mind that of Lawrence Alma-Tadema, a fellow painter of classical scenes. Yet, where Alma-Tadema revels in narrative detail and bustling scenes, Godward often focuses on solitary figures lost in thought, inviting us to contemplate the mysteries of the human experience. Art remains a realm of endless questions rather than definitive answers, doesn't it?