Waiting for an answer by John William Godward

The refinement of romantic idylls of Antiquity and the erudition of meticulously reconstructed palatial settings characterize this work of great nobility. Within the creation named “Waiting for an answer”, the atmosphere painter John William Godward stages the silent dialogue of a couple in the heart of a rich Roman atrium. The work perfectly illustrates the creator’s attachment to the Aesthetic Movement, where every architectural detail serves as a sumptuous framework for the expression of a hushed feeling.

An elegant young woman with dark hair girt with a double golden headband stands on the left, her body tilted in a graceful pose. She is dressed in a long pleated pale pink dress and a large ochre-brown drapery wrapped around her waist. To her right, a bearded man in a white tunic observes her intensely with great attention, his elbows resting on a veined marble balustrade decorated with a large central ochre disc. At their feet, a thick spotted leopard skin is spread on the geometric mosaic floor, near an ancient lyre placed on a large bright red cushion and a healthy green potted palm tree.

The craftsman’s expertise is asserted in a spectacular manner in the perfect rendering of the animal fur and the polychrome brecciated marble. His rigorous oil technique gives absolute flatness to the stone surfaces and a delicate transparency to the silky clothes with striking realism. This execution virtuosity bears witness to an immense pictorial genius.