Rise of vorticism

Vorticism was a short-lived British avant-garde movement, led by the painter and writer Wyndham Lewis, with the American poet Ezra Pound as a supporter and publicist. Its works used sharp lines, geometric shapes and dynamic compositions that expressed the energy of the modern industrial world. Although influenced by Cubism and Futurism, the Vorticists rejected the Futurists' uncritical celebration of speed and machines. They published their manifestos in the magazine Blast, and held a major exhibition in London in 1915. Artists associated with the movement included the sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, who was killed in the First World War, and Edward Wadsworth and William Roberts. The war scattered the group, and Vorticism faded.

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