A Grecian Lovely 1909

John William Godward’s ‘A Grecian Lovely’ captures a woman in profile, her sheer lilac dress and the marble behind her rendered in exacting detail. What was he thinking, this painter, when he laid down these layers of thin paint? There is a remarkable stillness in this painting, a kind of silent anticipation. Look at the curves of her neck and the set of her jaw - she feels so real, so present. Godward was known for his classical subjects, and you can sense him channeling the spirit of ancient Greece through this figure. But it’s not just about historical accuracy. It's also about a painter completely immersed in the act of looking, translating what he sees onto canvas with incredible precision. Godward is in conversation with painters who have been making figurative painting for thousands of years.