“Valeria”
Another lovely lady portrait…
This oil on canvas painting, titled “Valeria”, is by the English portrait artist, William Clarke Wontner, and dates to circa 1916. Like most of Wontner’s works, this piece was done in the Neoclassical art style that was extremely popular at the time.
Working off the stylistic tradition of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Frederic Leighton, Wontner painted his subjects in more detailed period style dress upon a simpler background, successfully merging contemporary fashion with the classical ideals of beauty. His father, William Hoff Wontner, was a respected architect, designer, and renderer and was Wontner’s first art teacher. His influence can be seen here in the depiction of the marble wall behind the subject.
Wontner was a contemporary of John William Godward and the two were close friends. However, while Godward chose warmer hues to paint his subjects, Wontner opted for cooler colors, as seen in this piece here.
“Valeria” was last sold at the Christie’s auction in 2006 and is currently in a private collection.
For more on William Clarke Wontner, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
