NO. 5 - LIFEBOAT

When Alfred Wallis lived at St Ives, lifeboats had white hulls and darker, contrasting gunwales above, for greater visibility at sea.

In this painting of a lifeboat, Wallis has made sure to add the 'life-lines' - looped ropes which were vital for survivors to cling to when they were being rescued from the water.

There was a terrible lifeboat disaster at St Ives in 1939, which deeply affected the whole town. Wallis donated two weeks of his pension to the relief fund.