A Cornish Inlet

This is a colourful depiction of a Cornish coastal inlet on a warm and glowing summer’s day. The artist has used an unusually diverse palette, using this to draw out the full spectrum of colours in each object and form. The artists is clearly a colourist, first and foremost, and the inclusion of a rainbow in the top righthand side of the sky emphasises this consideration. Even in the rocks that make up the coast line, we are not given the expected greys and browns of stone but rather we are presented with an array of pink, oranges and blues in various contrasts and tones.

There is also an immense amount of detail in this scene, with fishermen all over the composition completing various activities. Indeed, it seems that every inch of the canvas is filled with a different subject to catch our attention; men sat fishing on the dock, a duo replenishing their bags of goods on the stoney beach and seagulls swooping and diving in the warm air currents.

William Edward Wigley

Born in Birmingham in 1880, Wigley attended Birmingham School of Art, part-time as a mature student, as he was working as a commercial artist and draughtsman with Siviter and Smith a local engraving company. However he later won a scholarship and studied at the Royal College of Art. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists in 1928 and also showed at the Royal Academy. A painting by Wigley is in the collection of Newport Museum and Art Gallery.