A changing view
Every year (except 2020!) since its foundation in 1946, this group of plein-air artists has gone out painting every Wednesday from April to September to record the changing face of London and the river Thames. Although many other individuals and groups have since discovered the joys and terrors of painting outdoors, the Wapping Group led the way and remains at the forefront of this art.
As Peter Brown says in his foreword: ‘Many societies were conceived from the idea of member artists showing together in annual exhibitions – as exhibiting societies. It is a mark of the true passion and comradeship of the ‘Wappers’ that they were created in order to paint together outdoors with exhibiting being a secondary consideration.
‘For many years painter you descend into an intense level of concentration that I liken to sitting A-Level exams. So, it does not matter if you are painting alone or in a group of 25. Once you have found your view, set up and made the first brushstroke you neither know nor care whether you are in the Loire Valley or Gravesend. You are beginning a series of judgements to render whatever it is in front of you, and you are going to do your damnedest to make it as good as possible.
