Thelma

This drawing by artist Fyffe Christie (02/02/1918-06/03/1979) is one of many studies of teenage children that he undertook in between classes while he was a teacher at Barking Abbey Comprehensive School, Barking in the later years of his life. Christie had a good career as an artist, perhaps most famous for his murals and work in Scotland - he studied at the Glasgow School of Art under muralist Walter Pritchard.

The period from 1965-75 was spent observing the behaviour and body language of his teenage pupils quickly sketched unposed at school. These studies really capture a sense of the belligerent and awkward teenager, reflected through their body language and their often sullen, apathetic expressions.