Joe's furnace is unquenchable: as Biblical doppelganger, his carnal
curiosity is constantly stoked
by the invitation of moribund English housewives and widows — and his ire is only aroused when an appropriate mate choice
threatens to free him from his fleshy fixations.
The essay proved something about Riley's continuing artistic
curiosity and generosity, but more than that is a signal to the way in which she is neither stuck in a period - as the 60s darling of Op - nor a painter who feels
threatened by developments in other media.