A clothed man supports another figure — G F Watts, *The Good Samaritan*, 1949 - 1904, oil on canvas.
Watts Gallery Trust

This painting shows a moment from ‘The Good Samaritan’, a story from the New Testament in the Bible. Here, a Samaritan, a man from Samaria (a part of Israel), comes to the rescue of a distressed traveller who has been robbed, stripped, and beaten. While other passers-by have ignored the man, the Samaritan shows mercy on the injured stranger. Watts shows him helping the injured traveller to stand.

Watts often used historical or legendary stories such as this as the subjects of his art. He used them as a way of calling for greater kindness in the world.

He was affectionally known as ‘England’s Michelangelo' and this painting of twisting, muscular figures reveals the influence of this famous Italian artist who was active over three hundred years before.