The first seminar will place the work of Bloomsbury artists within the context of the broader Bloomsbury group, introducing the group’s key members, their collective history, relationships and creative output. Cosmopolitan, outward-looking, daring and young, they threw off the oppressive Victorian social norms of their parents and lived bohemian lives underpinned by the philosophy of G E Moore and the brave new artistic world of Picasso, Matisse and Cezanne. It was within this context that Clive Bell, in conjunction with Roger Fry, developed his theory of ‘Significant Form’, which we will explore in detail, focusing on Clive Bell’s treatise ‘Art’.
The second and third seminars will look at Bloomsbury art and narrative through the lens of the stage, focusing in particular on Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell’s set and costume designs for ballet productions in the 1920s and ‘30s. Grant and Bell worked on a wide range of ballets between 1922 and 1933, many of which were heavily influenced by the involvement of Ballets Russes dancers and choreographers. Seminars two and three will provide an overview of these productions, discussing the relationship between art and narrative and exploring the use and integration of music (with sound clips). A wealth of newly-discovered archival material will be presented, including paintings, photography, account books, newspaper articles and diary entries. The profound impact of the Ballets Russes’ aesthetic on Bloomsbury art will be discussed, as will the emergence of a new paradigm for our perception of Bloomsbury art in the 1920s and early ‘30s.
Learning outcomes
- To become acquainted with the Bloomsbury Group, their diverse interests, complex relationships, and broad artistic and literary output;
- To explore the relationship between art and narrative in Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell’s work for the ballet;
- To begin to think around the idea of the ‘gesamtkunstwerk’ or ‘total artwork’ encompassing different branches of the arts.
