| Vorticism - The History | | | | Art. Their works did not contain any Romantic |
| Vorticism was a prominent British art movement, | | | | Landscapes or intense human figures. Vorticism |
| witnessed during the early 20th century, 1912-15, | | | | was a dynamic art style that reflected |
| to be specific. It was perhaps the only British art | | | | modernization and the evolving technology. The |
| movement devoted to Abstract Art and for that | | | | artists celebrated the vitality of industrialization |
| reason; the conservative British society never | | | | and tried to represent it in art form. As a result, |
| really accepted it. Vorticism presented Futuristic | | | | Vorticist paintings were highly energetic |
| themes in Cubist style and therefore, it was also | | | | compositions, consisting of sharp unparallel bold |
| known as Cubo-Futurism. American poet Erza | | | | lines, creating angular abstracts with overlapping |
| Pound is mostly credited to have coined the term | | | | and the intermingling planes of vibrant colors. |
| Vorticism in 1914. She felt that Vorticist | | | | These depictions were powerful and lurching with |
| compositions drew attentions to a central focal | | | | uneven surfaces often giving the viewer a feeling |
| point, the vortex, and so the name. | | | | of vertigo or discomfort. |
| It is largely believed that English author and painter | | | | The Works |
| Percy Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957) was the | | | | Some major Vorticist works, found at the London |
| founder of Vorticism, but that is not completely | | | | Tate Gallery are "Workshop Circa" (1914-1915) by |
| true. Vorticism was a direct result of the | | | | Wyndham Lewis, "Abstract Composition" (1915) |
| formation of The Rebel Art Centre, which | | | | by Edward Wadsworth, and (sculpture) "The Rock |
| Wnydham Lewis established, along with a few | | | | Drill" (1913-14) by Jacob Epstein. |
| artist friends, in 1914. The group included artists, | | | | The Ending |
| like Edward Wadsworth, William Roberts, Frederick | | | | Vorticists decided to promote the movement |
| Etchells, Cuthbert Hamilton, Jessica Dismorr, Helen | | | | through a special artistic magazine called "BLAST." |
| Saunders, and the poet Erza Pound. These artists | | | | Wyndham Lewis edited the magazine. However, |
| openly frowned upon the traditional Victorian Art, | | | | only two issues of this magazine were ever |
| followed at the time. They disagreed with the | | | | published (in 1914 and 1915), as the group |
| Academic Art teachings and were highly | | | | disbanded in 1915, a direct consequence of the |
| influenced by various revolutionary art | | | | First World War. The Vorticists managed to put |
| movements, like Expressionism, Futurism, and | | | | up only one exhibition of their works in 1915, at |
| Cubism, making their presence felt around the | | | | Dore Gallery, before the group fell apart. In 1920, |
| world. | | | | a group of artists, who called themselves Group |
| The Details | | | | X, attempted to revive Vorticism, but they did |
| Vorticists were not into any form of Imitative | | | | not really succeed. |