Gwen john auguste rodin biography

Welsh artist (1876–1939)

For the English playwright, see Gwen John (playwright).

Gwendolen Mary John (22 June 1876 – 18 September 1939) was a Welsh artist who worked in France for most of her career.

Her paintings, mainly portraits of anonymous female sitters, are rendered in a range of closely related tones. Although in her lifetime, John's work was overshadowed by that of her brother Augustus and her mentor and lover Auguste Rodin, awareness and esteem for John's artistic contributions has grown considerably since her death.

Early life

Gwen John was born in Haverfordwest, Wales,^[1] the second of four children of Edwin William John and his wife Augusta, née Smith (1848–1884). Augusta came from a long line of Sussex master plumbers.^[2] Gwen's elder brother was Thornton John; her younger siblings were Augustus and Winifred.

Edwin John was a solicitor whose dour temperament cast a chill over his family, and Augusta was often absent from the