Charles Tole

Charles Tole began painting in his late thirties, later than most artists of his time. Tole was inspired by his older brother John Tole who was already an active painter in the Auckland art community, however, Tole was mostly self-taught. Following his meeting with John Weeks, a teacher at Elam School of Fine Arts, Tole was influenced by his newfound knowledge of cubism. He predominantly used oil mediums to develop depictions of urban and industrial scenes in a cubist treatment of space but presented in what is often referred to as idiosyncratic colours and viewpoints. He exhibited with the Thornhill Group, alongside key figures such as his brother John Tole and teacher John Weeks. Charles Tole died two decades after his brother John.