The Vorticists: manifesto for a modern world

Abstract

Vorticism was a brief-lived but explosive art movement that emerged in London on the eve of the First World War. Its adherents were determined to break decisively with the art of the past and express the dynamism of the modern world. Vorticism swiftly forged its own identity, helped by Wyndham Lewis's radical and influential journal Blast. Vorticist painting was characterised by zig-zagging diagonal forms that were fully abstract yet still displayed a sense of three-dimensional space. Vorticist ideas were also applied to sculpture, woodcuts and photography. Artists associated with the movement included Lewis, David Bomberg, Jacob Epstein, Frederick Etchells, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska and Edward Wadsworth. Extensively illustrated, and published to accompany a major touring exhibition, this book provides a thorough account of Vorticism, its origins and its impact on both sides of the Atlantic.