George Frederic Watts Enter a
feeling, not
a gallery.
Choose a mood and the room itself answers — the light cools or warms, the air changes pace, and only the works that carry that feeling step forward from the dark. Everything else recedes into shadow.
George Frederic Watts
early life and education george frederic watts, a prominent figure in the symbolist movement, was born on february 23, 1817, in marylebone, london. his early life was marked by delicate health and the loss of his mother at a young age. watts' father, a piano-maker, provided him with a conservative christian education and introduced him to the classics, including the iliad. this classical influence would later become a cornerstone of his
artistic style. career watts began his artistic journey at the age of 10, learning sculpture under william behnes. he later enrolled as a student at the royal academy schools at 18. his first exhibition at the academy in 1837 marked the beginning of his prolific career. caractacus, a drawing submitted for a competition to design murals for the new houses of parliament, earned watts a first prize in 1843. his subsequent travels to ita…
