Welsh Artists: Gwen John

Born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, Gwendolen Mary John (1876 – 1939) is known for her paintings in France of mainly female sitters, still lives and cats. One-time model in Paris for the great sculptor Rodin, with whom she had a relationship, she later moved to the outskirts of the city, living a quiet simple life, of religious conviction and friendship with nuns. She was overshadowed during her lifetime by her brother Augustus John, but her reputation has grown steadily since her death and now exceeds his, as he predicted. Her relatively small output is highly valued for its calm intimacy and delicate range of closely related colour tones.