People – Oil Painting by Cornelie Wolff

People – Oil Painting

Dimensions: 20 cm x 25 cm

Medium: Oil

A celebration of community and connection. This vibrant oil painting portrays a group of four figures, rendered in an expressive, almost abstract style that emphasises their collective energy.

The figures are a rich tapestry of colour and texture. Their dresses and head wraps are painted in bold, saturated hues of red, purple, blue, and orange, with thick, visible brushstrokes that give the canvas a tactile quality. The artist’s deliberate use of impasto makes the surface feel alive, as if the paint itself is in motion.

The composition emphasises the strong, upright posture of the figures, with their heads held high as they balance baskets on their heads. This posture, combined with their vibrant clothing, conveys a sense of quiet dignity and resilience. The figures are not a static group; their forms and colours bleed into one another, suggesting a deep and unspoken bond between them.

The background is a soft, textured yellow-gold, which serves as a luminous backdrop for the bold figures. This colour choice adds warmth and radiance to the scene, making it feel both grounded and ethereal.

People is a powerful and heartfelt tribute to the strength of human connection and the vibrant beauty of a shared journey.

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.