Britannica
Sources used in this answer
What role did Wyndham Lewis play in Vorticism?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Modernist literature
American writer Gertrude Stein was a self-styled genius who coined the term Lost Generation for a younger coterie of her fellow Modernist writers.
Wyndham Lewis was the central figure of Vorticism, a short-lived but influential movement that flourished in England between 1912 and 1915. His role was multifaceted:
- Founder and Organizer: Lewis founded the movement, grouping together various painters and sculptors to challenge existing artistic conventions by relating art and literature to the industrial process.123
- Propagandist and Editor: He served as the editor and most active propagandist for the movementās polemical mouthpiece, the typographically innovative journal Blast: Review of the Great English Vortex, which published two editions in 1914 and 1915.23
- Literary Exponent: Lewis was the movement's most accomplished literary exponent. His experimental play Enemy of the Stars (1914) and his novel Tarr (1918) are noted for their violent exuberance and alignment with Vorticist principles.3
- Conceptual Leader: He defined the movement's philosophy, which encouraged artists to observe the energy of modern society as if from a "still point" at the center of a "whirling vortex," drawing inspiration from Cubism and Futurism.42