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1.DavidBomberg’searlyworksandthemakingofmodernisminBritain:1890-1912
27
EvenSickert,whomayberegardedasaninnovatorinBritishstandards,re-
actedtoaPicassopaintingNudeGirlwithBasketofFlowers(1908)withanun-
usuallyprovincialsarcasmbyaskinguwhyanudechildiscarryingabunchof
flowersinfrontofagreyvacancy”lPerhapsawareofhisowninadequacies,and
realisingtheincreasingimportanceofabstraction,hesubsequentlyadmitted
tohavingaskeduanoldfashionedquestion”,butwentontoassertthatuthe
tiphasgoneroundthatpicturesneedhavenosense”
62
lEricGill(1882-1940)
declaredthathehaduarighttofeelsuperiortoMrHenriMatisse”63lSuchbit-
tercommentsdidnotpreventtheinsularstateofBritishartfromremaining
unchangedlInfact,thisexhibitionwastoexertincreasingpressureonBritish
paintingeversincel
ButthepublicwasnotonlydoubtfulaboutPost-Impressionistart,asrep-
resentedintheshowlWhatappearedtothemasequallysuspiciouswasRoger
Fryhimself,anestablishedcriticofhighreputation,whoinitiatedtheflow
ofudemoralizing”developmentsintoBritainlButFrywasalreadybeginning
tomoderatehisreactionaryapproachundertheheavyinfluenceoftheBlooms-
buryGroup,ofwhichhewasafoundermemberandwhichhadbegunmeeting
backin1905lNotonlywerethemembersofthegroupunitedintheirbelief
intheprimeimportanceofthearts,butmoresointheirshareddenialof
VictorianvaluesandconstraintslTheyopenlysupportedthedevelopmentsof
theavant-gardeandsothestagingofanexhibitionlikethiswasitsnatural
consequencelHowever,Fryantagonizedthemoreconservativeestablishment
withhisbeliefthattheexhibitionshouldberegardedasareturntoorderand
formalprinciplesrootedintradition,whichobviouslywasthenconsidered
asafanaticalmanifestationl
ThenewcurrentsthathadalreadyenteredBritishartcouldnotbereversed:
suddenlytheartistsfoundthemselvesdividedintothosewhopaintedaccording
tothenewstandardsofPost-Impressionism,andthosewhofailedtorespond
tothemandcontinuedtopaintintheEdwardianelegant,melancholicman
-
nerlTheexhibitionrepresentedawatershedand,asEricGillwrotetoWilliam
Rothenstein,uitsharplydividedthesheepfromthegoats”64lThetwoclashing
trendsfoundthemselvesnowundersevereattacklCharlesHarrisonarguesthat
whatseemedtodisturbthemmostlywasthatthewholeissuecentresaround
RealisminartwhichgivesrisetotheconflictbetweenuthoselikeFryandBell
whosawprogressinartasinvolvingtheassertionoftheautonomyofaesthetic
Stl-Peterburg:Pavlenkov,1894),English(DegenerationlLondon:Heinemann,1895;NewYork:
Appleton,1895),Italian(DegenerazionelTorino:Bocca1896),aswellasvariousotherlanguagesl
62Butler(1994:216)l
63Cork(1987:16)l
64Spalding(1996:37)l
