George Frederic Watts
George Frederic Watts - A British painter and sculptor
The great British painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts was born in London on 23rd February 1817. He was associated with the Symbolist movement and was famous in his lifetime for his great work. His allegorical works were amazing and attracted more audiences which made him popular in the first place. Watts used to say that he painted ideas, not the things which made his artwork more appealing. Two of his most famous allegorical works were Hope and Love and life.
The early life of George Frederic Watts:
George Frederic Watts was named after the second wife of a poor piano-maker. His mother died when he was very young. Watt was home-schooled by his father. At a very early age, he showed his artistic capabilities. With William Behnes, Watt started learning sculpture at the young age of ten. From 1835 to 1837, Watts attended the Royal Academy sporadically.
He decorated the Houses of Parliament and also won competitions twice. With the prize money, Watt was able to visit Florence in 1843 for his future career development. In 1886, he created his most famous work, Hope which is ironic in meaning. Watts also completed many smart portraits of his famous contemporaries like Cardinal manning. At the age of eighty-seven, Watt died in England, and then his widow took over to run the project.
Popular artwork by George Frederic Watts:
Some of the popular artworks created by George Frederic Watts are mentioned below:-
- Hope, painted in 1886
- The Sower of the Systems
- Detail of Physical Energy at Rhodes Memorial in Cape Town
- Orpheus And Eurydice
- The Judgement of Paris
This famous artist passed away on 1st July 1904. There were much more artworks that were created by Watt during his lifetime. He was admired a lot for all these beautiful paintings.