A Lily Pond 1917

John William Godward painted this scene of leisure with oil on canvas. Godward was really into this hyper-realistic, academic painting style, you know? It's all about showing off skill and making things look super real. This isn't paint that wants to be noticed, it's paint aspiring to disappear. Look closely at her dress, the way it drapes and folds. Godward's playing with light and shadow, using super-smooth brushstrokes to give it volume and depth. There's this sense of stillness, like a perfectly frozen moment in time. I can imagine the artist trying to capture this ideal of feminine beauty, but for me I'm left wanting to see more character in the face and less obsession with the folds in the dress. Painters like Alma-Tadema were doing similar things, making these idealized images of the past. It's a whole conversation about beauty, representation, and our relationship with history. What do you see? What do you feel? It’s up for grabs.