I.J. Berthe Hess

Berthe Hess (4 November 1925 - 6 April 1996) was a French-born painter recognized for having created the Bertisme technique, which involves the "sculpting" by brush of great quantities of oil paint on canvas.

[2] Hess' Bertisme technique, named as such by the influential British art critic Peter Fuller, involved the "sculpting" by brush of great quantities of oil paint on canvas.

[3] When seen up-close, the surface appears as a labyrinth of colour and light trapped in thick tunnels of paint and, when viewed from a certain distance, Hess' scenes progressively emerge from the canvas.

[6] Due to its use of colour and light, Bertisme has often been described as being "One Step Beyond Impressionism",[7] and while Hess has been compared to artists such as Turner, Pissarro, Manet, Rubens, Utrillo, and also Pollock, it has however been admitted by all that her work is unique.

Corner Gallery was a very popular venue, which saw a procession of all kinds of visitors, including show-business stars, politicians, artists and writers, and was a frequent hangout for all stratas of the City's population.