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Wyndham Lewis, London
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? Estate of Alvin Langdon Coburn

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Wyndham Lewis, London 1916
This portrait of the founder of the Vorticist movement, Wyndham Lewis, was taken in the artist's studio in 1916. It shows Lewis in front of his now lost painting 'Plan of War'. In 1922 the portrait was reproduced as a photogravure to be included in a book entitled 'More Men of Mark'. In the book's introduction the photographer praised Lewis's 'defiant attitude' and acclaimed the ideas of the avantgarde.

Glossary Open

Avant garde

Cultural practices that challenge tradition through experimentation and innovation. Originally a military term, in art it is particularly associated with the late 19th and 20th centuries.

Photogravure

A photographic negative is transferred onto a copper plate, which can then be manipulated like an etching. It allows for creative working and results in a wide range of tones in the finished work.

Vorticism

A radical English art movement of the early 20th century led by Wyndham Lewis. Influenced by the Futurists, they favoured urban, industrial subjects and promoted a hard-edged, angular style.

Avant garde, Photogravure, Vorticism

Details

  • Acc. No. PGP R 885.20
  • Medium Photogravure (in a book)
  • Size 19.90 x 14.80 cm
  • Credit Gift of Mrs. Riddell in memory of Peter Fletcher Riddell 1985

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