;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; may not have known about the exact structure of Vorticism DNA, he had read a claim by Allen Upward in his novel New Word that hinted at something remarkably by Josh Williams close to it. He claimed the fair probability that organic life in Earth sprang from minute cosmic “Intrinsic beauty is in the Interpreter and Seer, not in the individuals, endowed with energy of their own, object or content.” similar in origin and character to that manifested �������������������������������������������� in the rotary or the vertical motion of the planets Materer 16). Vorticism was a British art movement that Wyndham Lewis was both a writer and came out of the early 1900s. It was very accepting painter who found inspiration in much of science of modern ideas in science and technology and in and technology as well. In fact, he founded and fact even found inspiration in these new ideas and contributed to the movements journal entitled Blast. incorporated them into their works. These works One of his contributions is his play Enemy of the Stars, ranged from writing to painting to sculpture and at which was very much inspired by the heavens above. least one of each art form was supported by one of the The play was inspired by the binary star Algol (in the main Vorticists. Ezra Pound was a writer, Wyndham constellation of Perseus). A binary star is actually a Lewis was both a writer and painter, and Henri composite of two stars that orbit each, or a little more Gaudier-Brzeska a sculptor. With these three forming correctly, orbit a common center of mass; but in the the core, plus a handful of others, Vorticism came to case of Algol, the two stars are oriented such that from be an art and literary movement finding inspiration in our line of sight, the two stars eclipse one another on both science and technology. a regular basis. In fact, one full cycle can be watched The term vortex has its roots in both old and in just under three days. So Lewis used this idea of then modern science. It comes from the pre-Socratic an eclipsing binary star in his play. The protagonists doctrine that the four elements were formed as they name is Arghol, who embodies the artist (who is rotated in a vortex (Materer 15). Pound liked this always misunderstood) and is eventually blacked out. word and idea as it suggested to him something Rather than concerning itself with realistic or human energetic and dynamic, as well as unrelenting--pretty characters, the play brings forth the conflict of the much everything he and his fellow Vorticists wanted abstract forces of creation and destruction. to encapsulate. In fact, the vortex was Pounds answer As much as the Vorticists embraced much of 1 to the quark of modern physics. The quark being modern physics, they also embraced much of the the fundamental unit of matter, (quarks making up machinery and industrialization of the time, as is seen both protons and neutrons which then make up the from the following passage: nucleus of an atom) Pound sought to find what he The Vorticists did not deny that the considered the fundamental unit of aesthetics. Upon landscapes created by industrialism were deciding on this term, Pound was quite pleased with generally hideous. But the Vortex would himself. It is not merely knowledge of technique sweep up this ugliness, blast it to pieces, and or skill, it is intelligence and knowledge of life, of assemble it in beautiful painted forms. In the whole of it, beauty, heaven, hell, sarcasm, every Blast, no. 1, Lewis writes that a man could kind of whirlwind of force and emotion. Vortex. That make just as fine an art in discords, and with is the right word, if I did find it myself (Albright nothing but ugly trivial and terrible materials, 162). What Pound found most intriguing was that as any classic artist did with only beautiful the pattern of a vortex was found in seemingly such and pleasant means. (Materer 26) disparate objects which science had discovered. And one certainly sees this in much of the art of the Examples of such objects would be spiral galaxies, time as displayed in the following pictures. or spiral nebulae as they were called at the time (and in particular the Andromeda galaxy, which can be seen with the naked eye on relatively clear and dark nights) and the human DNA (which of course takes the shape of the double helix). And although Pound 92 Composition, we again see very bold lines and sharp angles. But also, we see fairly ominous forms leaning to one side that look like tottering architectural structures. (Saunders) If a sense of movement seems to pervade the painting as well, its because of Lewiss use of vertiginous, diagonal lines, which epitomise Lewiss Vorticist style. (Saunders). From these paintings as well as others of his, we see Lewis was consistently interested in the theme of a modern metropolis (Saunders). Indeed, these both look like a vortex swept up some ugliness, blasted it to countless unrecognizable pieces, and somehow reassembled it into beautiful and daring art. While Vorticism inspired many writings and Lewis, Red Duet (1914) paintings, aspects and themes of Vorticism can be seen in sculpture as well. The last key Vorticist was a French sculptor by the name of Henri Gaudier- Brzeska. Many of his sculptures are very abstract but still depict recognizable figures. In fact, many of the subjects he depicts are reduced to their essential elements, just enough so one can recognize the figure as shown below. Lewis, Vorticist Composition (1915) ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ industrialism was not only accepted by the Vorticists, but it inspired them as well. All of these paintings have a very hard, jagged, strong, and bold feel to them which would be apparent in much of the Gaudier, Bird Swallowing Fish (1914) machinery and architecture of the industrialist age. In Red Duet, what we see is that the Vorticists admired Gaudier, Red Stone Dancer (1913) the power, the hardness, and even the brutality of machine forms (Materer 87). The painting depicts an In Bird Sawllowing Fish, a relationship that is normally ambiguous cityscape which becomes apparent when predator/prey, is depicted here as practically a we notice the bold vertical lines running parallel to stalemate. He [Brzeska] has selected the moment each other, resembling towering buildings. In Vorticist of deadlock, when each party is still struggling for 93 survival, and the outcome of this stalemate is still Gaudier, Ornament/Toy (1914) ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Although both of these sculptures contain together at a very sharp angle to a maximum point Vorticist ideas in them, it was Brzeskas sculpture of energy, an idea that is very Vorticist-esque. Ornament/Toy 1914) that best exemplified Vorticism. While the bird is normally the predator, in this At first glance, this seems like it might appear in situation the fish (which looks almost torpedo-like one of Lewiss paintings mentioned earlier with in nature) is coming with full force to the opening the hard lines and sharp angles with an occasional of the birds mouth. The birds eyes seem to be roundness thrown in. Presented in this sculpture almost straining as its trying to find room for this can also be seen a cold, rigid, militant figure standing highly aggressive creature. Instead of swallowing, stiff and erect, and its sharp edges seem ready to tear the bird could actually be choking, gorged with the their way through any struggle (Edwards 47). This outsize dimensions of a prey he was unwise to chase image is aided by the rounded portion about half way Edwards 46). The sculpture, although modeled up which could easily resemble the spine of a human in plaster, was cast in gunmetal, which could not figure. Ornament/Toy could almost be a three- be more appropriate for showing how Brzeska dimensional statement of Vorticisms most war-like “reconciled his dual involvement with nature and the impulses (Edwards 47). machine (Edwards 46). As we see, the depictions The last sculpture in which we see machinery of these creatures are very reminiscent of World War and technology in Vorticism is Rock Drill by Jacob I, which looked inevitable by the spring of 1914 and Epstein. This sculpture was very much inspired by broke out in July of that year. the machinery of the day and proved to be highly Red Stone Dancer, as well, has many aspects of controversial. Vorticism in it. Ezra Pound, with whom Gaudier was good friends, summed it up best in his writings. We have the triangle and the circle asserted, labled [sic] almost, upon the face and right breast. Into these so-called abstractions life flows, and the circle moves and elongates into the oval, it increases and takes volume in the sphere or hemisphere of the breast. The triangle moves toward organism, it becomes a spherical triangle (the central life-form common to both Brzeska and Lewis). These two developed motifs work as themes in a fugue. We have the whole series of spherical triangles, as in the arm over the head, all combining and culminating in the great sweep of the back and shoulders, as fine as any surface in all sculpture. The abstract or mathematical bareness of the triangle and circle are fully incarnate, made flesh, full of vitality and of energy. The whole form- series ends, passes into stasis with the circular base or platform (Edwards 42). Epstein, Rock Drill (1915) Although not one of the key Vorticists, Epstein was a Vorticist both in mind and spirit during Vorticisms height as displayed by this sculpture.