DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.69711#0131
MODERN ART CONTINUED
113
the modern portrait painter to have a deeper knowledge of
psychology than formerly and to make a more profound
study of his subject. People have been interested to know
whether it was possible to recognize such a portrait or
whether one had always to be told who the person in ques-
tion was. If the artist knows his subject, and has a knowl-
edge of psychology, there is no reason to question his abil-
ity to render the character under consideration. If, however,
the observer has no knowledge of the psychology of color
and its symbolic representation, as to be surprised when in-
formed that one would hardly use ‘baby-pink’ when wishing
to represent military prowess, one cannot expect him to rec-
ognize the representation under consideration. Otherwise it
appears as normal a form of representation and expression
as the older method of rendering a portrait, which some-
one wittily called ‘making a map of the physiognomy,’ and
we all can recall instances when such ‘maps’ were not
recognized!
The English Vortex movement came chiefly into ex-
istence through the influence of Wyndham Lewis. They
chose the name Vortex as they wished to show that they
did not desire to live apart from life, as most of the artists
of the 19th Century had done, but entered into the very
centre of life itself, where the vortex was strongest. They
express themselves in literature as well as in art, with Ezra
Pound as one of their best known exponents and writers.
His charming appreciation of Gaudier-Brzeska, the young
talented sculptor, who was one of the leaders of this group,
with Wyndham Lewis, gives one a fair idea of their aim.
Unfortunately there has been little opportunity of seeing
any of the original works outside of England, which makes
it impossible to go into detail concerning their achievements.
For one of the main differences, as we have seen, which
exists between the old art and the new, is that the color of
the paintings of today is an inherent part of the whole.
Formerly where the subject was of equal importance with
113
the modern portrait painter to have a deeper knowledge of
psychology than formerly and to make a more profound
study of his subject. People have been interested to know
whether it was possible to recognize such a portrait or
whether one had always to be told who the person in ques-
tion was. If the artist knows his subject, and has a knowl-
edge of psychology, there is no reason to question his abil-
ity to render the character under consideration. If, however,
the observer has no knowledge of the psychology of color
and its symbolic representation, as to be surprised when in-
formed that one would hardly use ‘baby-pink’ when wishing
to represent military prowess, one cannot expect him to rec-
ognize the representation under consideration. Otherwise it
appears as normal a form of representation and expression
as the older method of rendering a portrait, which some-
one wittily called ‘making a map of the physiognomy,’ and
we all can recall instances when such ‘maps’ were not
recognized!
The English Vortex movement came chiefly into ex-
istence through the influence of Wyndham Lewis. They
chose the name Vortex as they wished to show that they
did not desire to live apart from life, as most of the artists
of the 19th Century had done, but entered into the very
centre of life itself, where the vortex was strongest. They
express themselves in literature as well as in art, with Ezra
Pound as one of their best known exponents and writers.
His charming appreciation of Gaudier-Brzeska, the young
talented sculptor, who was one of the leaders of this group,
with Wyndham Lewis, gives one a fair idea of their aim.
Unfortunately there has been little opportunity of seeing
any of the original works outside of England, which makes
it impossible to go into detail concerning their achievements.
For one of the main differences, as we have seen, which
exists between the old art and the new, is that the color of
the paintings of today is an inherent part of the whole.
Formerly where the subject was of equal importance with