Abstract kinetic collage painting with sound by Duncan Grant (1914)
The Bloomsbury Group insisted on seing itself as a simple « group of friends », although it is obvious that it was not only about friendship. It is hard to find out what Bloomsbury was actually about. There are two points of view about the Bloomsbury Group, which are at odds ; some argue that the Bloomsberries were just « arty snobs », who focused too much on personal relationships, who did not have a hint of artistic talent and who have had a malicious influence on British art and politics; others claim that the members of the Bloomsbury group were pioneers of alternative lifestyle, whose artistic achievements contributed to the advent of the modern in British literature, painting, or even economics.
It must be acknowledged that the Bloomsbury Group was elitist and exclusive; it dominated the cultural landscapes of its time, and it had a bad influence on the writers and artists who were not a part of it. It is also true that the group was rather snobbish. For all those reasons, Forster’s claim that the Bloomsbury was "the only genuine movement in English civilization" may seem exaggerated. Nevertheless, the Bloomsberries did share aesthetic and ethical concerns. Quite a lot of individual Bloomsbury’s works of art will undeniably survive, such as Virginia Woolf’s novels, John Maynard Keynes economic theories, or even Carrington’s paintings. Moreover, as a group, Bloomsbury, by challenging the strict social norms of its time, played a big part in promoting freedom of thought and speech and equality between men and women.
Whichever of these views one may choose, and in spite of all the controversy that surrounds it, it is sure that the Bloomsbury Group is far from outmoded or quaint.
And if you are still interested in the Bloomsbury group, have a look at this web page which makes available a large number of works of art by Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Roger Fry...
Abstract kinetic collage painting with sound by Duncan Grant (1914) |