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1.DavidBomberg’searlyworksandthemakingofmodernisminBritain:1890-1912
25
conservativepartoftheexhibition’svisitorscouldnotagreewithMacCarthy,
whojustifyingtheradicaldeparturefromrepresentationbytheyounggenera-
tionofFrenchartistswaspushingtheirideasufurtherandfurtherlInthework
ofMatisse,especially,thissearchforanabstractharmonyofline,forrhythm,
hasbeencarriedtolengthswhichoftendeprivethefigureofallappearanceof
nature”lArguably,theexhibitionorganizerstriedtoplacetheFrenchpainters
muchtoofaralongthemodernistlinemuchtoofar,emphasisingtheuproto-ab-
stractionistaspect”oftheexhibitiontothemaximum52lByproposingPost-Im-
pressionismasamovementwhichpreparedutheartistwhowoulduseabstract
designashisprincipleofexpression”,FryandMacCarthyantagonizedartists,
whoforinstancelikeSickert,werereadytotakeGauguinandMatissemorese-
riously
53
lNotsurprisinglyMacCarthyreferredtotheshowasanuArt-Quake”
theaimofwhichwasunogradualinfiltration,but-bang!Anassaultalongthe
wholeacademicfrontofart”54l
Now,atlast,itseemedthatthereactionagainstthetireddetachmentandre-
straintoftheEdwardianerahadfounditswayofprotestasthefurorearousedby
theshowfirmlyrootedPost-Impressionisminthenationalconsciousnessonce
andforalllThisdisplaywasofenormousimportancemarkingthebeginning
ofachangeintheperceptionofthesurroundings,asthefeelingofthemodern
boldlystartedtoinvadetheBritishIslesl
Althoughitwas1914thatacceleratedthepaceofchangeinthearts,poli-
ticsandsociety,theimpatiencewiththeoldandtheexcitementaboutthenew
wasmarkedlymanifestedinandaround1910lTheexhibitioncameasashock
totheEnglishgalleryvisitors,whoforthefirsttimewereintroducedtothe
experimentalidiomsofCézanne,VanGoghandGauguinlThegreattriowere
regardedbyagreatnumberoftheBritishartestablishmentasuhereticalmis-
creants”
55
lTheirworksondisplaywereenoughtoenragethepublicalthough
matureCubismdidnotpermeateFry’sshowatall-Picasso’sPortraitofClovis
SagotstillmadeastrongreferencetoCézanneratherthananticipatingtheex-
perimentalphaseofCubism56l
EzraPoundrespondedtotheexhibitioninhispoemuL’Art,1910”:
Greenarsenicsmearedonanegg-whitecloth,
Crushedstrawberries!Come,letusfeastoureyes57l
52Cork(1987:19)l
53Cork(1987:19)l
54Cork(1987:19)l
55Cork(1987:16)l
56Cork(1987:16)l
57Pound(1968:18)l