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E-book Wyndham Lewis and British Art Rock : A Practicological Modernism

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Penilaian

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I would like to preface this study with an example taken from what couldperhaps be termed the “Great Global Vortex” of the twenty-first century: theinternet. On YouTube, we can find two short clips, each starring an imposingand controversial figure in the history of British art and literature. The firstis a less than minute long newsreel clip from 1938 in which British modernistpainter, writer, critic, essayist, cultural theorist, self-appointed leader of theVorticist movement and self-described “‘Personal-Appearance’ Artist” (Lewis,Men Without Art 95) Wyndham Lewis is interviewed about his portrait of T.S. Eliot (Fig. 1) (Lucas). The second clip was published online by the Tate in2010 and consists of excerpts from an interview with Mark E. Smith, leader andonly constant member of Mancunian post punk band The Fall, in which he talksabout various British visual artists that influenced his own work as a rock (orpost-punk) performer (Tate).The context and the content of the 1938 newsreel clip can be quicklysummarized: Wyndham Lewis had submitted his portrait of T. S. Eliot for theannual exhibition of the Royal Academy, but it was rejected by the latter’sselection committee. This was highly unusual. Though an outsider figure, Lewiswas still a decidedly professional painter and artist. The rejection of the selectcommittee, for which it was not obliged to offer any specific reasons, was thusan affront. It prompted, among other things, the resignation of Augustus John,one of Lewis’s mentors, from the Academy (O’Keeffe 382-3). The newsreelinterview thus presented Lewis with an outlet to voice his contempt for theRoyal Academy. After a few close ups of the portrait itself, Wyndham Lewisis asked by an off-screen interviewer whether the picture in question was avery “unorthodox piece of work”, which Lewis vehemently denies: “No, it isnot unorthodox. Naturally, it does not conform to the standards of atrocioussilliness of the Royal Academy.” A follow-up question about whether he believedthat its rejection would affect the value of the portrait in the eye of the publicis met with a resolute “I. Think. Not.” However, the incident did not result inthe full-blown scandal that Lewis was hoping to mine in the wake of the selectcommittee’s decision (O’Keeffe 384-6). The newsreel clip itself thus does notoffer any valuable new information on this already well-documented episodeof Wyndham Lewis’s career.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

809 KEL w

Penerbit

Germany : A. Francke Verlag., 2024

Deskripsi Fisik

333 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9783381108527

Klasifikasi

809

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

-

Edisi

-

Subjek

Critical Appraisal of More Than Two Literatures

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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