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Source of the Thames 1994-95
Courtesy Timothy Taylor Gallery © June Andrews

The last room is devoted to a group of late portraits, and to Andrews's final landscape subject: the Thames.

In 1992, Andrews returned to London, taking a flat in Battersea. His daily journey to his studio involved crossing the Thames at Albert Bridge, and gradually this experience suggested its potential as a subject. Andrews's interest was due partly to his immediate impressions. But, as he commented, 'I am interested in external appearances for what they reveal of what is internal.' For Andrews, the river suggested both the course of life and the flow of history.

In these works Andrews returned to his earlier methods, a complex marriage of observation and invention. The first painting in the series, The Thames at Low Tide 1994-5 (no. 94), was based on sketches done on the spot, photographs and newscuttings. In late September 1994 Andrews began a further two Thames paintings. This followed a period of convalescence: earlier in the year, in June 1994, he had undergone an operation for cancer.

In The Estuary 1994-5 (no. 95), Andrews's methods echoed the movement of mud and water: the canvas was laid flat and turpentine allowed to run freely over its surface. For the third painting, The Source of the Thames 1994-5 (no.96), Andrews visited Thames Head, where the river emerges. The painting remains unfinished, its progress halted by the artist's death in July 1995.

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