WATTS, wOts, George Frederick, English painter: b. London, 23 Feb. 1817; d. there, 1 July 1904. He studied in the Royal Academy and in 1837 exhibited there two portraits of young ladies and a subject-picture entitled (The Wounded Heron,' and afterward contributed to various art exhibitions, notably the Royal Academy, the Grosvenor Gallery and the New Gallery, about 300 pictures of various kinds. Some of these are landscapes and seascapes; a few, such as 'The Sempstress' and 'Under the Arch,' portray contemporary life; but the finest and most characteristic are portraits and allegorical or ideal subjects. His portraits in clude those of the most eminent men and women of his age and perhaps form his chief claim to renown, as they were the basis of his repu tation as an artist, and yet many of his idealistic pictures will continue to be copied after all the portraits are forgotten. Of his other pictures the following may be mentioned: 'Isabella Fin& ing Lorenzo Dead' (1840) ; 'Paolo and Fran cesca' (1848) ; 'Life's Illusions' (1849) ; 'Sir Galahad' (1862) ; 'The Wife of Pygmalion' (1868) ; (1870) ; 'The Curse of Cain' (1872) ; 'Dedicated to all the Churches' (1875) ; 'Love and Death' (1877) ; 'Time and Death' (1878), like the preceding one of his most notable pictures; 'Orpheus and Eurydice' (1879) ; (Psyche' (1880); 'The Rider on the Pale Horse,' 'The Rider on the Black Horse,' Rider on the White Horse' and 'The Rider on the Red Horse,' all apocalyptic pic tures of 1883; 'Love and Life' (1884) ; 'Rain Passing Away' (1884) ; 'The Angel of Death' (1:•:':); 'The Wife of Plutus) (1889) ; 'She Shall be Called Woman' (1892), a large pic ture of Eve; 'For He Had Great Possessions' (1894); 'The Outcast' (1895) ; 'Jonah' (1895); 'Love Triumphant' (1898) ; 'Court of Death' (1902). He was in Italy during 1843-47, and
was powerfully influenced by Titian and Tin toretto. In 1847 his colossal oil-pictures of 'Echo' and 'Alfred inciting the Saxons to prevent the Landing of the Danes' were awarded a prize of #500 in another Westminster Hall competition. The latter of these now adorns a committe room of the Houses of Parliament. He completed a fresco, (Saint George Overcomes the Dragon,' in 1853, for the Houses of Parliament and at a later date painted in fresco the west end of the new hall at Lincoln's Inn. After 1896 he was on the list of retired academicians. A large number of his portraits, presented by him to the nation, are now in the National Portrait Gallery, and some of his best allegorical paintings were presented to the National Gallery of British Art (Tate Gallery). To use his own words, he painted ideas rather than objects and the poetic idealism to which he was faithful throughout all his long career stood in the way of extensive popularity. His drawing was of the utmost correctness and his coloring often extremely fine, but while his allegorical sub jects were often great in conception and treat ment they sometimes required too much literary exposition to appeal to the ordinary picture lover in a dear and direct manner. His 'Life' has been written by his wife, Mary S. Watts, and appeared in London in 1912 in three vol umes. Consult also Monkhouse, 'British Con temporary Artists' (1889) ; Bateman, 'G. F. Watts' (1901) ; Chesterton, 'G. F. Watts' (1904) ; Chesterton, G. K.,