A Pompeian Lady 1901

John William Godward painted this “Pompeian Lady” with oils, and the way he uses them is just remarkable. There’s something about that face – so smooth, so seemingly perfect. Look closer though, and you see the tiny strokes, the almost imperceptible shifts in color that give it life. And the fabric, the way it drapes, the shadows within the folds – he really knew how to work with texture. It’s so easy to get lost in the details, like how the light catches on her golden necklace. I love how Godward hints at the brushstrokes but doesn’t fully reveal the process; it's like he wants to create a sense of timelessness. It makes me think of Alma Tadema who was a contemporary of Godward. The work of both artists celebrates this very controlled, almost dreamlike vision of the ancient world. It's kind of funny to think how much they wanted to capture “reality” when what they were really doing was making something totally new.