Edward Wolfe, R.A. (1897-1982)

Upon his return from South Africa in 1956, Wolfe moved into a studio on the Thames at Rotherhithe where he remained until the 1960s. Working in diluted oils, Wolfe undertook a series of paintings vividly capturing his response to the scenes of the river outside his window. Taylor observes, ‘One would never have called him an Impressionist before, but there is certainly something of true Impressionism in this seizing of the moment on canvas before it flies. On the other hand, there is enough of his legacy from the Fauves remaining to ensure that the colours are often quite unrealistic, and so one thinks instead of some of the German painters of early Expressionism, such as August Macke or Franz Marc.’ (J.R Taylor, op. cit., p. 57).