The Tambourine Girl 1906

John William Godward made this painting of a woman with a tambourine probably with oil paints. It feels like he was trying to make a world so perfect, so still. I keep thinking about what it must have been like to work on a painting like this. All those tiny brushstrokes, building up the fabric of her dress layer by layer. The way the light catches on the tambourine, you just know he spent hours getting that right. It's easy to see the influence of classical sculpture in her pose and the marble background. There's a stillness and serenity that feels almost timeless. I wonder what Godward was thinking when he painted her? Was he trying to capture a moment of fleeting beauty, or was he searching for something more profound? Either way, it makes me think about the connections between artists across time.