The Quiet Evolution of a Self-Taught Hand Before he was a painter, Hubert Wolfs lived a life defined by the steady, mechanical precision of a craftsman. Born in Mechelen, Belgium, his early years were spent working as a shoemaker and a watch repairer. There was a certain rhythm to this existence, one governed by the small, intricate movements required to fix a timepiece or mend leather. Yet, beneath this practical labor, a different kind of vision was forming. He taught himself the art of painting, finding his way through the medium without the formal guidance of an academy, relying instead…