Liegende by John William Godward

The aesthetic languor of the late Victorian period is captured with sovereign elegance by the English painter John William Godward. His exceptional painting entitled “Liegende” stages the delicate sleep of a female figure in a classical setting of great purity. His artistic style privileges the rigorous balance of forms and the harmony of hues to exalt the subject. It is a refined tribute to inner peace and repose.

A young red-haired woman is asleep on a veined white marble bed in a posture of abandonment. She rests on thick red and black animal skins that protect her body from the cold marble. She is dressed in a light cream-white tunic and an ochre drapery with orange patterns tied at her waist. Her head rests gently on a large brown velvet pillow, her arms bent upwards. On the left, a large potted palm tree adds a green and exotic note to this mineral marble setting. In the background, a narrow opening reveals a deep blue sea under a calm horizon. The soft light illuminates the whole harmoniously.

The exceptional virtuosity of oil painting is manifested in every detail of this magnificent work. The delicacy of the pleated draperies and the striking realism of the animal skins bear witness to the artist’s genius. This is a perfect example of his unequaled technical craftsmanship.