MASTER TIP

Rejecting the abstraction in vogue at the time, Cyril Mann was on a mission to revitalise the figure, something he arguably achieved with the likes of the artwork to the left. Notice how the dynamic effects of light and shadow have been captured in real time, directly and at speed, with thick impasto and dramatic brushstrokes. Telling more about these techniques, as well as his struggles as an artist, is the new book The Girl in the Green Jumper: My Life with the Artist Cyril Mann

by his second wife, Renske Mann. Pimpernel Press, £30. pimpernelpress.com