Feliks Topolski
1907–1989 (age 82)
Biography
Feliks Topolski brought his Polish-born expressionism to London and began chronicling his era with frenetic sketches that captured politicians, artists and everyday scenes with an unforgettable immediacy. His monumental works, including the long-running Topolski's Chronicle in Waterloo, were composed on the fly, often completed in a single sitting as he chased the pulse of the moment.
He lived as a cosmopolitan witness, traveling widely yet always returning to his studio to translate current events into restless lines and vivid colour, insisting that art could be reportage as well as portraiture. The looseness of his hand paired with the discipline of close observation made him an inspirational figure for generations of draughtsmen.