Getty Museum
Mischief and Repose
Creator
John William GodwardBritish Artist · 1861–1922
All works by this person →Little has been recorded of the life of John William Godward. Inspired by the painter Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema, Godward imitated his Neoclassical style. Both were counted among the members of the "Marble School," known for its depictions of subjects drawn from ancient Greek and Roman life placed in elaborate settings, with especially careful and realistic rendering of details like marble and flowe
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- 1895
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Culture
- British
- Department
- Paintings
- Institution
- Getty Museum
Reclining on a tiger skin draped over a marble ledge, a young woman, Repose, is disturbed from slumber by her companion, Mischief, who pesters her with a dress pin. They wear diaphanous robes fashioned after chitons worn by women in ancient Greece. Another dress pin and a hair ribbon lie scattered on the marble floor. Following the excavations of Pompeii, which began in 1748, artists were fascinated with Greek and Roman life. John William Godward painted many scenes like this one of idealized beauties in calm, often sterile environments. In this painting, the figure of Repose is arranged seductively, with her breast and nipple showing through the thin material of her dress. But there is something distinctly untouchable about these women; they do not engage the viewer with an inviting gaze nor solicit personal contact. Like their antique setting, they possess a monumental, marmoreal quality, resembling Greek statues frozen in time.
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