Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
In 1897, John hit submerged rocks diving into the sea at Tenby, suffering a serious head injury; the lengthy convalescence that followed seems to have stimulated his adventurous spirit and accelerated his artistic growth. In 1898, he won the Slade Prize with "Moses and the Brazen Serpent." John afterward studied independently in Paris where he seems to have been influenced by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.