Dada (1916-1924) and Surrealism (1924-1966) stand as two movements from markedly different time periods and cultural contexts. Both of these span artistic, literary and intellectual activity of the early 20th century, involving circles of writers, poets and visual artists who feed into a larger group output. Dada launched in 1916 in Zurich as a direct … Continue reading Dadaism & Surrealism: An Introduction
Please note, if you hadn't already, it would be most beneficial to read my preceding articles on the Omega Workshops and their connection to Modernism and the Bloomsbury Group in Twentieth Century England... Part of 1 The Omega Workshops Ltd. – “The Big Idea” here... Part 2 of The Omega Workshops Ltd. – “Objects and … Continue reading The Omega Workshops Ltd. – 33 Fitzroy Square
From 1570 – 1620 one can chart the ‘Elizabethan building boom’[1]. Here, we see an unprecedented rise in the building of ‘proud, ambitious heaps’[2] and the beginnings of the ‘architect’ as an entity in the cultural, economic and social landscape. Architectural historian Sir John Summerson credits ‘the most daring of all English buildings’[3] as the … Continue reading The Elizabethan Country House And The Cult Of Sovereignty
Albert’s German background, educational pursuits and patronage efforts accumulated in his aims for permanent museums as places of learning and leisure. Albert had a desire to reform deign and art education via a Kultuforum[1] in South Kensington, given the progressive, intellectual and reformative climate of the nineteenth century. Socially, the government had passed the Reform … Continue reading Prince Albert: Patron & Collector – Museums and Education in Victorian England
The company ethos of the Omega Workshops was a development from that of previous institutions and movements. The Aesthetic movement of the late nineteenth century had stressed ‘art for art’s sake’1 as a working principle which translates into the Omega emphasis on pure art and beauty. What critic Charles Marriott sees in Omega as ‘a … Continue reading The Omega Workshops Ltd. – Company Ethos
Within the short span of the week, egged on by a wink from this month's pay packet, I've found myself to have accumulated quite the collection of Beswick. Starting out as a novice, this is mostly for my sheer love of porcelain and, of course, a love affair with a few choice childhood titles by … Continue reading Beginning With Beatrix Potter & Beswick
