Brill, born in London in 1902, was an English artist celebrated for both his figurative painting and his dedication to his students in later life as a teacher of art. Attending the Slade in 1921 under the tutelage of the great Henry Tonks, Brill went on to win the Prix de Rome in 1927 and taught at the British School there before moving to Blackheath School of Art.

Then followed a post at The School of Art in Kingston upon Thames, 1934. Famously disorganised, Brill turned the school around in just 5 years and it became highly sought after as an establishment of excellence. Brill also exhibited regularly at the RA and his major work, The Martyrdom of Man, was completed alongside teaching work and recently sold at Sothebys. Brill died in 1972.