Godward was born in London, United Kingdom, on August 9, 1861. He was the son of Sarah Eboral and John Godward, an investment clerk at the Law Life Assurance Society, London. John Godward was the eldest of five children. He was named after his father John and grandfather William.
John Godward family’s wealth secured a lavish education for the young artist.
Godward was offered a job at his father’s firm. However, he declined to pursue a career of a painter. He became one of the best-known followers of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Godward painted beautiful women in classical surroundings with lots of marble. John Godward worked in London (where he resided in Wilton Grove) and starting from 1887 he permanently exhibited at the Royal Academy, where his paintings were initially greatly admired by the public. Besides, his works were often displayed at the Royal Society of British Artists, Suffolk Street.
John Godward lived with his parents in Wimbledon until 1889, when he eventually achieved financial and critical success. He moved a house at 34 St Leonard’s Terrace on the corner of Smith Street in Chelsea. He gave up his Bolton Studios and rented a new studio just around the corner. He filled it with marbles, ancient statues and other antique objects, which he bought from local shops and East End dealers, trying to recreate a Graeco-Roman inspirational environment for his work.
After his first trip to southern Italy in 1911, Godward went to Rome where he resided until 1921. He returned to England that year. He lived in the Villa Stohl-Fern on the Monti Parioli near the Villa Borghese. Plenty of floral varieties and statuary in the villa’s elegant gardens appeared in his work during this period. However, by that time his pictures were regarded as old-fashioned. Perhaps, this was a reason for his deep depression resulting in suicide by putting his head in a gas oven. It was said that he left a suicide note, where he said that the world wasn't big enough for him and Picasso. His family, who had disapproved of his career as an artist, were ashamed of his suicide and burned all of his papers and photographs.
John Godward was an extremely talented painter. Some of his most renowned works were The Betrothed (1892); On the Balcony (1898); Dolce Far Niente (1904). In 1913 he was awarded the gold medal at the International Exhibition in Rome.
The artworks of John William Godward are represented in various museums and galleries, including the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery, Bournemouth, and the Manchester City Art Gallery.
John Godward became a member of the Royal Society of British Artists, Suffolk Street in 1889.
Godward was a reclusive and shy person.
