Last Embers captures the last of the evening light on the exposed and rugged north Cornish coast. Olsson’s genius lay in his remarkable ability to capture the millisecond’s drama of crashing waves and transfer his recollection in oil paint to a canvas; long before the emergence of colour photograph (1907) and fast shutter speeds would give artists the opportunity of an aide-memoire.  The qualities required to be Julius Olsson were best summarised by the man himself: ‘… for one whose heart draws him to the sea must, in the first place, have an exceptionally retentive memory, and be able to grasp in a few moments the effect of the ever-changing movements of the sea and sky; he must have a delicate and subtle sense of colour, and have the ability to place the main features of his impression of the subject on the canvas with a few strokes of the brush, and, besides this, he must be prepared to fight the brave fight with the elements, which will be frequently against him.’ 

Julius Olsson took up residence in St Ives in 1890 and was the founder and driving force behind the Cornish School of Landscape, Figure and Sea Painting in St Ives. Olsson also painted in No5 Porthmeor Studios (former sail and net lofts) above Porthmeor beach. Later resident painters in No5 included Ben Nicholson, Patrick Heron and Terry Frost.