Edward Piper painted from life at speed, trying to catch the moment of beauty - sensual nudes, sunlit landscapes and bright flowers, radiating Mediterranean colour and joie de vivre. This book, conceived shortly before his death at the age of 51 in May 1990, is offered as a tribute to his work. After training at The Slade School of Art, Piper gained recognition as a photographer, but painting was always his first love and in the last few years of his life he found new confidence, emerging from the shadow of his father, the eminent British artist John Piper. At the heart of his work was a lifelong delight in the female form. He painted nudes with affection, and once commented that he saw no reason why erotic pleasure should be colonized by Playboy, but in later years Piper's landscapes of southern France, Venice, Malaga and Corsica achieved equal significance. The text of this book is accompanied by the artist's own sketches and photographs, in addition to the colour plates of his paintings.