Francis Rudolph ( lv, Rūdolfs Peders; 1921−2005) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

painter of Latvian origin.

Life in Europe

Rūdolfs Peders was born in 1921 in

Ventspils Ventspils (; german: Windau, ; see other names) is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It ...

, Latvia. In 1944, during the Nazi occupation of Latvia, he was expelled from Art School for sympathising with "Communists and Jews" and forcefully conscripted into the German Army. While serving on the Eastern Front he deserted and made his way back to Latvia where following the end of the war he was transported to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

as a volunteer worker in 1947.

Life in England

Following his move to England, Rudolph eventually settled in

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...

, South London. In 1948 he took up a position as

porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., ...

at Springfield Mental Hospital, Tooting. There he remained for many years while also broadening his artistic fields. Whilst having a more technical background the job of porter allowed him to pursue regular art classes to refine his artistic skills; becoming a member of the Hesketh Hubbard Art Society and exhibiting at venues such as the Chelsea Art Exhibition, Toynbee Art Club and The Mall Galleries. Rudolph was a prolific painter of nude life studies and also produced many scenes of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

with the "Painting in London" group. His work is in various collections of note, including the Ashmolean Museum,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and Aberystwyth University.. Francis Rudolph died in 2005 while living in Herondale Avenue, London, SW18.

External links

Robertmeyrick.co.uk
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rudolph, Francis 1921 births 2005 deaths Latvian painters 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters Latvian emigrants to the United Kingdom People from Ventspils Latvian Waffen-SS personnel 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists