George Frederick Watts, O.M., R.A. (1817-1904)

The picture is one of several studies and versions of Chaos (Tate, London), which formed part of Watts' never-realised 'House of Life' project, a great hall to be painted with a series of allegorical subjects of his own devising. In many beliefs 'chaos' represents the formless state before the creation of the universe. In Watts' final composition he demonstrates a form of evolution with figures of giants struggling to release themselves from flames and vapour on the left half of the canvas, in contrast to the emergence of a line of female figures on the opposite side. The present, and unusually colourful, study focuses on the right hand side of the composition, with the line of female figures emerging below the group of giants on the mountainside above.

We are grateful to Nicholas Tromans, curator of the Watts Gallery, for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.