Godward, John William |
| PAINTER (ENGLAND) |
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BORN 9 Aug 1861, London: Wimbledon - DIED 13 Dec 1922, London CAUSE OF DEATH suicide by gassing in oven GRAVE LOCATION London: Brompton Cemetery, Old Brompton Road, West Brompton (8 (near the graves of Henry Cole and Frederick Sandys)) |
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John William Godward's was the son of John Godward, who worked at the Law Life Assurance Society in London. He inherited a large sum from his own father and had married Sarah Eborall in 1859. His father wanted John William to work in the insurance business as well, but he hated it. To prevent him from giving up his job as an insurance clerk, he allowed him to stuy architecture and design in the evenings under William Hoff Wontner from 1879. After Wontner's death in 1881 his son William Clarke Wontner continued the lessons. It is unclear if he received further formal art training, but he certainly produced his own paintings by 1883. In 1887 he was still living at home and his parents still did not support his desire to become a painter. He decided to hire a small room at Bolton Studios in Gilston Road, where he painted and often slept on the floor. He met many other artists there. Around 1888 the gallery owner Arthur Tooth sold some of his paintings. Soon afterwards Thomas Miller McLean became his art dealer and now many of his paintings were sold. In 1889 he rented a room for himself to live and left his parental house for good. By 1893 Godward was well known for his paintings beautiful women in classical surroundings with lots of marmor. The three Pettigrew sisters often modelled for him. He first visited Italy in 1905. He explored the Gulf of Naples and visited Sorrento, Ischia and Capri. He created many studies of Pompeii. He returned to England, but in 1912 he went to Italy again with one of his models. The identitiy of the model is unknown. At this point his family broke off all contact, going as far as removing his image from family pictures. He lived in Rome from 1912 but in Italy his work was seen as old fashioned. In 1919 he returned to England, but there his work was not appreciated anymore either. This was probably the reason for a deep depression resulting in suicide by putting his head in a gas oven. he was found dead in his studio in Fulham. It was said that he left a suicide note that said that the world was not big enough for both him and a Picasso. His family considered his suicide to be a disgrace and his mother tried to erase him from family history by burning his papers. As far as known no photograph of him survived. When his father died in 1904, Godwin had bought a grave for him at Brompton Cemetery, not far from his studio. He was buried in this grave. His mother died in 1935. Work: "The Betrothed" (1892, Guildhall Art Gallery, London); "On the Balcony" (1898, Manchester City Art Gallery); "Dolce Far Niente" (1904, second version, Collection Andrew Lloyd Webber). Related persons • was influenced by Alma-Tadema, Lawrence |
| Images | ||
 The grave of John William Godward at Brompton Cemetery, London. Picture by Androom (13 May 2011) |
 The grave of John William Godward at Brompton Cemetery, London. Picture by Androom (13 May 2011) |
 "The Betrothed". (1892, London: Guildhall Art Gallery) |
Sources • John William Godward - Wikipedia (EN) |
