Design for rub by Roger Fry (1916)
Design for rub by Roger Fry (1916) |
This article tries to make us see beyond the clichés that surround the Bloomsbury Group. Firstly the author makes a list of all the defects that the group has been reproached with: snobbishness, exclusiveness, selfishness, elitism, lack of individual artistic talent. The author argues that the Bloomsbury group embodies the public’s tendency to “admire literary people for non-literary reasons”. It is true that the glamorous and sulphurous reputation of the group was often more known than its literary work.
Nevertheless, in the second part of his article, the author restores the Bloomsbury Group into favour by focusing on their achievements. Despite the aura of snobbery and elitism that hangs over the group, Virginia Woolf’s novels, Maynard Keynes’s economic theories, or Roger Fry’s post-impressionist exhibition, prove that some members were talented. Moreover, the Bloomsbury’s principle of pacifism during World War One is worth our admiration.
Therefore the Bloomsbury Group can be considered as having had a strong influence on both art and society.
Cet article analyse l’influence du Bloomsbury Group. Dans une première partie, l’auteur se fait l’avocat des opposants au groupe : les Bloomsberries manqueraient de talent artistique et devraient leur réputation uniquement à leur charisme et à leurs mœurs libérales. Mais dans une seconde partie, l’auteur réhabilite le groupe en expliquant qu’au-delà des clichés et des critiques qu’elle a suscitées, l’influence des Bloomsberries est digne d’être appréciée, notamment pour les œuvres de certains de ses membres, comme Virginia Woolf ou Maynard Keynes.
 E.M. Forster portrayed by Dora Carrington (1924-1925) |
This article was written on the occasion of an exhibition titled « Bloomsbury Art in Bay Area Collections », which took place at Stanford University Art Gallery. The author starts with praising the Bloomsbury Group’s contribution to the advent of the modern: as a group, the Bloomsberries shared the desire to challenge the Victorian strict social norms. They also helped modernising society through their individual achievements, such as Virginia Woolf’s experiment in writing or Roger Fry’s show “Manet and the Post Impressionists”. The journalist does not forget to mention that the group was criticized for its snobbishness and lack of patriotism. Nevertheless, despite those critics, the Bloomsbury has had a wide-ranging influence and it played a significant part in “creating a new modern world”.
Ecrit à l’occasion d’une exposition présentant certaines des oeuvres des Bloomsberries, cet article est axé sur l’influence du groupe, et insiste sur sa modernité et son avant-gardisme. Le journaliste fait brièvement allusion aux critiques dont le groupe a fait l’objet (snobisme, manque de patriotisme pendant la première guerre mondiale), mais conclut en réaffirmant la grande portée de l’influence du Bloomsbury Group, ainsi que sa contribution à l’avènement d’un nouveau monde moderne.
 The Mantle piece by Duncan Grant (1914) |
According to Virginia Nicholson, the great niece of Virginia Woolf, “We are all bohemians now”. This quotation is extracted from Mrs. Nicholson’s novel: “Among the Bohemians”. In that novel, she argues that it is thanks to artists from the first half of the 20th century (such as those from the Bloomsbury Group) that we can nowadays enjoy a society freed from classes. We can socialize with people from all social backgrounds without fear of being stigmatized or excluded. People are not submitted anymore to the very strict and traditional rules that used to govern social interaction in English Society. According to Mrs Nicholson, we owe this freedom to the “bohemian” way of life of those 20th century artists, which challenged social norms.
Nevertheless, the absence of formality and social rules in our society can sometimes lead to new problems; for example, Mrs. Nicholson mentions the fact that “sex often precedes friendship rather than the other way around” in relationships.
Dans son livre intitulé “Parmi les bohémiens”, Virginia Nicholson, la petite nièce de Virginia Woolf, soutient que c’est grâce au mode de vie appelé « la bohême », en vogue parmi les artistes en Grande-Bretagne entre 1900 et 1950, que la société britannique est aujourd’hui libérée du formalisme et des différences de statuts qui pesaient autrefois sur les rapports entre individus. Mrs. Nicholson déplore cependant le fait que cette absence de règles conduise parfois à de nouveaux maux sociaux.
 Virginia Woolf painted by Vanessa Bell (1911-1912) |
This web page provides us with information about the work and the influence of the Bloomsbury Group. It is divided into three parts: the first one is a brief presentation of the Bloomsbury Group. In the second part one can find a bibliography. The third part, the most interesting one, consists of a selection of press cuttings dealing mostly with the controversial influence of the Bloomsbury Group. The sources diversified: one can find references to articles from the Independent, the Observer Magazine, the Sunday Times Culture…The titles of the articles chosen reflects the controversy that surrounds the influence of the Bloomsbury Group: “Does anyone actually like any of this Bloomsbury Group rubbish?”, “A lot of fuss about nothing”, “Not an inkling of vision or design”... The general impression that we get from these press cuttings is that the Bloomsberries were not great artists, and that they were known for their wild way of life rather than for their artistic talent. We find very few articles in favour of the Bloomsbury Group in these press cuttings.
Cette page Web contient des ressources concernant le travail et l’influence du Bloomsbury group. Elle est divisée en 3 parties : tout d’abord, une brève présentation du groupe, ensuite une bibliographie et enfin une revue de presse. C’est cette troisième partie qui est la plus intéressante ; cependant, la grande majorité des articles insistent sur les aspects négatifs du Bloomsbury Group, affirmant que son influence fut minime et que ces artistes n’étaient que des amateurs. Seuls quelques rares articles reviennent sur l’avant-gardisme et l’influence positive du groupe.
 The Stories of the East by Leonard Woolf, cover by Dora Carrington (1921) |
This article deals with the ambitious attempt of a Tate Gallery exhibition at rehabilitating the Bloomsbury group, which, according to the journalist, has been mocked for a century. The exhibition concentrates on the painters in the group: Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. The exhibition provoked more critics against the group in the press: it is reproached with elitism and with having had a bad influence on British art and politics. The exhibition curator is very surprised that the Bloomsbury group can still inspire so much hatred, instead of simply being quaint. He read an extract of Virginia Woolf’s diary to the author of the article, who found it very modern, and which made him think that the Bloomsbury group was “far from quaint”. The journalist emphasises the freedom demonstrated by the members of the group, in both art and human relationships. He concludes by wishing that from now on the name “Bloomsbury” may become a watchword for values such as “honest speech and thought, a distrust of jingoism, a commitment to sexual freedom and equality, to penal reform and freedom of information, and to friendship.”
Cet article décrit la tentative ambitieuse d’une exposition à la Tate Gallery de réhabiliter le Bloomsbury Group. Selon le journaliste, le groupe a été victime de raillerie et tourné en dérision depuis sa création jusqu’à aujourd’hui. L’exposition est centrée principalement sur les travaux des peintres du groupe. Elle a déclenché de nouvelles critiques du Bloomsbury groupe dans les journaux comme étant élitiste et ayant eu une mauvaise influence sur l’art et la politique britanniques. L’auteur espère que, en partie grâce à des expositions comparables à celle-ci, le Bloomsbury Group trouvera un jour la place qui lui revient et que son nom deviendra synonyme d’une honnêteté de pensée et de parole, d’un engagement pour le liberté sexuelle et l’égalité, pour la réforme pénale, la liberté d’information ainsi que pour l’amitié.