´ *•.¸♥¸.•**JohnWilliam Godward (1861-1922) ~The Sweet Siesta of a Summer Day~ 1891, oilon canvas.Th
´ *•.¸♥¸.•**JohnWilliam Godward (1861-1922) ~The Sweet Siesta of a Summer Day~ 1891, oilon canvas.Theinspiration for The Sweet Siesta of a Summer Day comes from Lord Byron’s poemThe Island (1823), specifically canto II, section VI: “ , , , , , .” One ofByron’s last major works, The Island describes a fictional, paradisiacal placecalled Toobonai where there is no class system or division of property. Muchlike the utopia of Byron’s fantasy, the settings of John William Godward’spaintings are far removed from the trials of the modern world. In thissophisticated and complex composition, a classical beauty in a diaphanouscerulean stola lounges gracefully on a marble bench, indifferent to a smokingMount Vesuvius visible in the distant summer haze. The second figure plays aclassical Greek double flute or aulos. The warm, vivid hues of the Pompeiian interior’sfrescoed walls contrast with the cool marble and the serene azure vista beyondthe arbor. It is a scene of idyllic beauty and pensive idleness. -- source link
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