The mechanisation of the human spirit. Apocalyptic. David Bomberg London National Gallery. @NationalGallery
Is that how our so vulnerable flesh, blood and soul was seen in the early 20th Century?
WW1 mechanical slaughter. The objectification of the human being. To feed the industrial revolution’s devouring profiteering and commercialisation of the spirit surviving and enforced in the 20th Century.
Is this how David Bomberg saw his fellow humans?
Is he capturing the zeitgeist of the times as CRW Nevinson (1890 – 1957) boldly depicted in ‘La Mitrailleuse’, men as merely mechanical components of their killing machines both mutually dependent upon each other for existence?
As Picasso and Braque portrayed humans with Cubism, Boccioni and Balla of the Futurists,
Wyndham Lewis
and Bomberg of the Vortisicts
– depicting humans: angular, mechanical, dead metal, dead-weight, dead objects.
The artists’ interpretation of societal attitudes. Is that how those times were?
David Bomberg London National Gallery
Art-Tales is a magazine blog site following the journeys and reflections through the art world of artist, sketcher, art historian and critic Al Beckett.
Merely to amuse, inform and entertain, Art-Tales is aimed at people who simply wish to dip a toe into the art world, share an insight, smile at a joke and maybe even be informed a little.
Al regularly visits the major galleries in the UK and whenever possible, mainland Europe and the USA. He keeps up to date by subscribing to many periodicals, viewing documentaries and the news in general.
Al paints and sculpts himself and frequently sketches in-situ. He has written a book ‘The Primacy of Your Eye’ designed to give people some insights to enhance their experiences in galleries. Fully illustrated with 400 sketches and drawings of major art works and their artists, the book takes the reader on a journey through topics to perhaps consider enriching the viewing experience.
To many, the art world is daunting, to others it holds little interest. A gentle submersion at a depth to suit the individual can produce rich and rewarding results.
That’s the purpose of Art-Tales.