Farewell Dance IV – Original Oil Painting by Cornelie Wolff

Farewell Dance IV – Original Oil Painting

Dimensions: 20 cm x 20 cm x 4 cm

Medium: Oil

The central figure is dramatically rendered in a sweeping gown of fiery crimson and deep, molten scarlet. Wolff’s brushwork is immediate and powerful, utilising a heavy impasto technique that allows the paint to build up into peaks and ridges, giving the dress a palpable, tactile weight and movement. This isn’t just colour; it’s a declaration, demanding attention as it dominates the softer, atmospheric washes of white and cool grey that frame the scene.

Like its predecessors, the figure’s identity is elegantly obscured, focusing the narrative entirely on the sensation of the event—the thrill of the moment.

Original Oil Painting

Cornelie Wolff Approaching Art from a Different Angle

This Johannesburg-based artist started as a pharmacist.  After completing her Honours Degree in Psychology, she joined Helios to further her skills in Art Therapy.   During this time, she fell in love with art, the process and the emotional power it yields.

While raising her family, which consisted of three young children, she took part-time classes with Rika de Klerk and Willie Jacobs.  She also attended workshops led by Koos Bronkhorst, Niel Moss, Willie Jacobs, Rentia Coetzee, Ruth Walters, Elize Bezuidenhout, Douw van Heerden, Charla Maarschalk, and Jennifer McChristian.

Today, she practices what she preaches by creating her work under the motto: “With every painting I complete, I grow as a person and an artist.”

My art is created from a place of wonder – it is my dream for every human to never completely lose the child inside them, because it is our ability to see wonder and magic in things.  I use bold brushstrokes, contrast and an impressionistic approach to entice the viewer to create their own interpretation of the subject and become part of my world.