Portrait of Topsy

W. Lewis 1882 - 1957

Summary

A female figure sat in an armchair facing to the left, her elbows leaning on the chair arms. She wears a V neck top and her hair is pulled back from her face. There is no background detail. One of a series of figure studies Lewis created after the war between 1919 and 1922. Dissatified with his wartime drawings, Lewis changed his technique and developed a new linear style that reflected the influence of contemporary Continental styles. Lewis experiments with a new, softer drawing technique in this drawing. The sitter is reduced to a series of geometric forms where subtle shading suggests volume. The sitter is Gladys Anne Hoskyns. a favourite model of Lewis whom he married in 1930. Both sitter and technique anticipate Lewis' portraiture of the 1930s.