Oil on Canvas, hand-painted frame specific to artwork (may vary to shown), to Guild of Framers Museums Standard. Approximately 12” x 16” plus frame size (add approximately 3” all round).

Christina Baker writes:

“I stumbled open this beautiful painting by William Oxer and was reminded of the cinematic masterpiece Brief Encounter. I cannot help but be struck by the poignant analogy that is entwined throughout the film. Our lives, much like the trains that incessantly chug along the tracks, are propelled forward by an inexorable force that we cannot always control.

The character of Laura, played with exquisite nuance by the incomparable Celia Johnson, embodies this analogy with an almost painful poignancy. Her chance encounter with Alec, played with equal brilliance by Trevor Howard, is like a fleeting moment of respite in a journey that is otherwise monotonous and unremarkable. They are two lost souls, adrift in a sea of sameness, who find in each other a brief moment of solace and connection. Indeed, life is a painting, a journey, a train ride that we cannot predict nor control. The colours, the textures, the scents and sounds that we encounter along the way contribute to the kaleidoscope of our existence. And yet, like Laura and Alec, we are often bound by the limitations of our own perceptions and expectations.

As is the case with many journeys, Laura and Alec’s time together is fleeting. The train must move on, and so must they. And yet, the impact of their encounter lingers like the vivid strokes of colour in Oxer's painting that refuse to fade away.

In the hands of a lesser filmmaker, this analogy might have felt trite or heavy-handed. But in the hands of the great David Lean, it is a thing of beauty and grace. His masterful use of light and shadow, coupled with the hauntingly beautiful music of Rachmaninoff, creates a sense of almost otherworldly beauty that is both ethereal and grounded in reality.

As I sit here, looking at this beautiful painting and contemplating the meaning of this film, I am struck by the way in which it speaks to the human experience. We are all passengers on this journey, hurtling towards our own destinations with a sense of both wonder and fear. And yet, in the midst of all this chaos and uncertainty, there are moments of beauty and grace that make it all worthwhile. Brief Encounter is a reminder of this, a testament to the power of human connection and the way in which even the most fleeting of encounters can leave an indelible mark on our lives.

Perhaps, like Rumi suggests, we must learn to see beyond the surface, to look with the eyes of the heart and the soul, to embrace the unknown and the unexpected. For it is in the moments of brief encounters, in the flashes of insight and inspiration, that we truly come alive. Even when the train moves on, we can carry with us the beauty of the journey, the memory of the colours that have painted our path.

Painting “The Last Train” by William Oxer”