With Violets Wreathed and Robe of Saffron Hue 1902

John William Godward made this painting of a beautiful woman with oil paint, sometime before 1922. The saffron hue is a kind of orange-yellow –it’s warm, and the violets contrast, creating a little zing. I can imagine Godward, layering those pigments, carefully building up the textures of the fabrics and the marble, trying to capture the light just so. He must have been really patient. It’s like he's trying to make the paint disappear, to create the illusion of reality. I bet he was thinking about the Old Masters a lot when he worked. There’s something about how the woman is looking off to the side that makes you wonder what she’s thinking. Maybe she’s dreaming of some other place, some other time. That’s what paintings can do, transport you, and the conversation keeps going. It’s still going on now.