History Paintings & Portraits of Indian Leaders

Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, 1946, Feliks Topolski, Oil on Canvas

Location: RBCC

Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation, was assassinated by Nathuram Vinayak Godse on 30th January, 1948.

The foreground lays emphasis on the form of Mahatma Gandhi. He is shown being carried by two females. Behind him, the painting shows numerous rows of people. In a divided formation, highlighted with red and yellow shades, this painting portrays expressions of scream and shock on all the faces.

With huge crowds of men and women, two camels amidst the yellow ground form a point of emphasis. On one side, huge scaffolding is seen. The robust form of a man is positioned with his back towards the onlooker in the extreme right of the painting. He is seen holding two terracotta pots with a stand balanced on his shoulders.

Feliks Topolski was born in 1907 and established himself as a Polish-born British artist focussing on expressionist influences. He was also an accomplished draughtsman and studied at the Warsaw Academy of Art. During the Second World War, he became an official war artist.