William Roberts - England at Play
Wednesday, December 27 2006 @ 09:56 AM UTC
Contributed by: Dan
Views: 1,257
England’s twentieth century social history is
re-examined in January with a major exhibition at Pallant House Gallery
dedicated to the distinctive paintings of William Roberts (1895 – 1980), a social
commentator and a unique figure in the history of Modern British art.
Known predominantly for his early
ventures into Cubism, and for his membership and participation within Wyndham
Lewis’s pre-First World War Vorticist group, this important exhibition
celebrates an artist whose career bridged the twentieth century and
created a revealing record of the era.
Taking as his subject the leisure activities
of the English working class, Roberts found inspiration at the doorstep of his London home. Visiting
local cinemas, parks, pubs, the races and cafés, he captured his fellow
Londoners at play and portrayed the eccentricities, peculiarities and past-times
of those around him. Alone
among twentieth century English artists, Roberts was able to use the language
of Modern art to re-invigorate a tradition of recording everyday life and
situating ‘Everyman’ at the very heart of his work.
This exhibition features major paintings from the 1920s to the 1970s, which not only chart Roberts’ artistic development from his Vorticist origins to the monumental figures of his mature work, but also reveals the way life in England changed dramatically during the 20th century.
Works include ‘Goal’ (1968; Private Collection), ‘The Seaside’ (1966; London, Arts Council Collection), and ‘The Jazz Party’ (1923; Leeds, Leeds Museums.
William Roberts - England at Play - is at Pallant House, Chichester from 20th January to 18th March 2007.
