CAMPUS ON THE LAKE

All programs take place in the Dixon Education Building, unless noted Tickets are required for all programs The Four Arts app ■ fourarts.org ■ customerservice@fourarts.org ■ (561) 655-7226

VORTICISM ― a modern art movement you may not know

In summer 1914, at the time of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo and only weeks before Germany invaded Belgium, Origins of Modernism in Art Vorticism blazed into existence in London. During the cataclysmic years with Philip Rylands, Ph.D. of the Great War, its flames spluttered and eventually, in 1919, winked out. This Anglo-American response to French Cubism and Italian Mondays at 11 a.m. Futurism owed much to the energizing ego of the poet Ezra Pound $25 per master class (1885–1972), who gave the movement its name, to the leadership of the writer and painter Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957), and the philosophy and March 28: Vorticism criticism of T. E. Hulme (1883–1917). The Vorticists exhibited together April 11: Surrealism Part I in June 1915 at the Doré Galleries, London: they were Jessica Dismorr, April 25: Surrealism Part II Frederick Etchells, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Wyndham Lewis, William Roberts, Helen Saunders, and Edward Wadsworth. That same year the New York patron John Quinn Esq. began amassing a collection of Vorticist works under Pound’s guidance, and in January 1917 Quinn opened the only other Vorticist exhibition, at the Penguin Club in New York. In February 1917 the American expatriate and Vorticist ally Alvin Langdon Coburn showed his Vortographs — now celebrated as the first abstract photographs — at the Camera Club in London. These exhibitions were complemented by the group’s journal, BLAST (1914–15), which had a significant impact on avant-garde circles in London and New York. Two major avant-gardists, David Bomberg and the American expatriate Jacob Epstein (1880–1959), although they declined membership in the group, created paintings, sculptures, and drawings with clear affinities to Vorticist ideas and imagery. Vorticism is a story of the acceptance and transformation of contemporary European art by young artists working in London. It belongs to the larger history, from 1910 on, of the reception of French Post-Impressionism, Henri Matisse and the Fauves, the Ballets Russes, Cubism, Futurism and Vasily Kandinsky in Britain. Vorticism was the most advanced and the most sharply characterized of the London-based avant-gardes, whether the Bloomsbury Group (Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Roger Fry and the artists of the Omega Workshops), Augustus John (admired as a genius and the first British artist to be tagged a PostImpressionist), the Rhythmists (J. D. Fergusson, Anne Estelle Rice, and others), and the Camden Town Group led by Walter Sickert. The faceted angularity of Vorticist figuration was Cubist in origin, but its similarity stopped there. The Cubist exploration of reconfigured form, with a narrow repertoire of subjects (the portrait, the disrobed seated model, or the gueridon with still-life clutter), had little to do with Hulme’s, Lewis’s, and Pound’s conviction that a new art signalled radical changes in the machine-based human condition. Vorticist paintings were contemporary with and sometimes more advanced than comparable abstract experiments in Europe by Robert Delaunay, Kandinsky, František Kupka, the Rayonists, Synchromists, and others. In 1914 the avant-garde art that was produced in London with the intellectual apparatus provided by Hulme, Lewis, and Pound, could hold its own against the Europeans—an unthinkable claim four years earlier.

Edward Wadsworth, Abstract Composition, 1915, gouache, Tate Britain

William Roberts, The Vorticists at the Restaurant de la Tour Eiffel: Spring, 1915, 1961-62, Tate Britain, London (From left to right, seated: Cuthbert Hamilton, Ezra Pound with turban, William Roberts, Wyndham Lewis with hat, Frederick Etchells and Edward Wadsworth. Standing in the doorway are Jessica Dismorr and Helen Saunders. Joe, the waiter, and Rudolph Stulik, the proprietor of the restaurant from 1908-1937, are on the right. Saunders, Roberts and Etchells are holding pink volumes of the Vorticist review BLAST.)

Pound apparently used the term ‘Vorticist’ for the first time in April 1914. Interviewed in 1915 for the Russian journal Strelets, he defined the vortex as ‘that point in the cyclone where energy cuts into space and imparts form to it . . . the pattern of angles and geometric lines which is formed by our vortex in the existing chaos’. In the first issue of the Vorticists’ short-lived review, BLAST, he had written: ‘The vortex is the point of maximum energy. It represents, in mechanics, the greatest efficiency’. This degree of conceptual grounding in the spirit of a new age, comparable to but radically different from the Futurists’ campaign, distinguished Vorticism both from the elitist aestheticism of Bloomsbury and from the lowermiddle-class realism of the Camden Town painters. However, by July 1915, the ‘vortex’—the concentration of energies in London—was no longer working. Lewis was struggling with debt (including moneys owed in the wake of BLAST’s failure to sell) and busy painting, writing, and inventorying his work in advance of enlisting for the war, which he did in March 1916. Gaudier-Brezska, Roberts, and Wadsworth also signed up for military service. Art came to a halt in London, and the frenetic cultural politics that had galvanized it since 1910 were out of place by the spring of 1915 when it became clear that the war was not going to end swiftly, that it was not to be a traditional war of manoeuvring armies on the offensive, but a stalemate of lines of defence—a drama brought home by Gaudier-Brzeska’s death, aged twenty-three, at the front. When Lewis returned from duty as a Canadian Corps War Artist in 1919, he no longer had an appetite for group activities. Despite Pound’s efforts, the dissipation of Vorticism’s energy was intrinsic to its incendiary character, with Lewis as the fuse and the dynamite. Vorticism was a victim of the Great War.

The years prior had witnessed the rise of the welfare state and of organized labour, of severe industrial unrest, and of vexed political questions such as Suffragettism and Home Rule for Ireland. It was against this background that British artists came to terms with the avant-gardes in Europe. Vorticism, in the field of painting, sculpture, and even literature, was the modern movement that more than any other expressed the changing social, economic, and material conditions of life in late Edwardian and early Georgian England.*

*This is extracted from: Philip Rylands, introductory essay for the catalogue of the exhibition The Vorticists. Rebel Arts in London and New York 1914-1918, curated by Mark Antliff and Vivien Greene, Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, Durham, NC, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Tate Britain, London, London: Tate Publishing, 2010.

Conversations on Style

with Steven Stolman

Wednesdays at 3 p.m. $25 per master class

March 23: Elaine Wynn

(in place of Douglas Friedman) April 6: Alfredo Paredes

American Foreign Policy

with Jeffrey Morton, Ph.D.

Thursdays from 3 to 4:30 p.m. $35 per master class Walter S. Gubelmann Auditorium

March 31: Kashmir April 7: Colombia April 21: Nuclear Weapons

America from the Gay 90s to the Roaring 20s

with Taylor Hagood, Ph.D.

Mondays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. $25 per master class

March 21: Drama, Drama! April 11: A Soft but Serious Vision in Art

All programs take place in the Dixon Education Building, unless noted Tickets and reservations are required for all programs Tickets are $20 ■ No charge for Four Arts members The Four Arts app ■ fourarts.org ■ customerservice@fourarts.org ■ (561) 655-7226

Celebrity Spotlight

In March and April, The Society of the Four Arts proudly presents three in-depth lectures on famous people of the 20th century.

Fans of The Crown will want to hear Hugo Vickers’ talk on “Prince Philip: His Life and Work, 1921-2021” (March 14 at 3 p.m.) in the Walter S. Gubelmann Auditorium. Prince Philip lectured at The Four Arts on “Nature and Art” in March 1993.

Vickers is an acknowledged expert on the Royal Family who wrote the authorized biography of Alice, Princess H.R.H. Prince Philip, left, is escorted by Mr. and Mrs. F. Eugene Dixon, Jr. prior to the Prince’s lecture on “Nature and Art” at The Andrew of Greece, Prince Philip’s mother, at the Society of the Four Arts in March 1993. request of Prince Philip and his sister, Princess George of Hanover, and was a television commentator for Prince Philip’s funeral on April 17, 2021. Vickers will detail Philip’s early life and challenges and highlight the range of work he did on behalf of Britain and the Commonwealth as Queen Elizabeth II’s consort. The first of two lectures on famous actresses will focus on “Greta Garbo: The Elusive Star” (March 16 at 3 p.m.). Hugo Vickers will look at her dazzling career, including her transition from silent films to talkies, and her troubled relationship with the photographer Cecil Beaton, the fascination she held for Mercedes de Acosta and with Georges Schlee (the Kafkaesque guard who escorted her) and his wife, Valentina, the eccentric Russian dress designer.

Greta Garbo in Grand Hotel (1932)

Palm Beach’s René Silvin will talk about

“Audrey Hepburn: Screen Legend — Style Icon —

Humanitarian” (April 4 at 3 p.m.).

The British born, multi-cultural, multilingual Hepburn established herself as a star in a short career (Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, My Fair Lady) and gained additional fame as a style icon and world-renowned humanitarian. Her unusual work ethic, noble personal conduct and total commitment to family were traits formed during her childhood in the war-ravaged Netherlands, resulting in a supremely elegant, consummate professional who was above reproach. Silvin will guide the audience through the legend’s career, discussing details of her personal life.

Befitting the Town of Palm Beach and its many splendid gardens, including The Four Arts’ Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden and the Botanical Gardens maintained by The Garden Club of Palm Beach, the Four Arts has six presentations to enthrall garden enthusiasts.

Thomas Woltz will discuss

“Stories in the Land: Parks, Gardens and Farms in the Gulf States”

(March 7 at 3 p.m.). Woltz, the Owner and Principal of Nelson Byrd Woltz (NBW) Landscape Architects, will discuss a selection of the firm’s designed landscapes around the Gulf of Mexico. These projects illustrate design opportunities at the intersection of community, history, ecology, and culture.

Enjoy “A Private Invitation to Vaux-le-Vicomte” with Alexandre de Vogüé (March 10 at 3 p.m.), an exclusive glimpse from the estate’s fifth-generation owner into the château that inspired the design of Versailles and continues to enchant visitors and film directors alike. Exclusive photography and archives offer unprecedented access to the château, furnishings, and gardens. A panel discussion with Raymond Jungles, Jorge Sanchez, and Keith Williams on “The Rediscovery and Renewal of Palm Beach Parks” takes place March 17 at 3 p.m. These landscape architects will discuss their work for Bradley Park, the Lake Park, and Phipps Ocean Park, as well as Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., and his legacy of design principles still influencing architects today. This discussion is presented in partnership with The Garden Club of Palm Beach and Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach.

Two more programs focus on Olmsted marking the 200th anniversary of his birth. Laurence Cotton will discuss “The Olmsted Legacy: Bringing

Nature to the City and Creating Breathing Space for Democracy”

(March 28 at 3 p.m.). Olmsted left a huge imprint upon the landscapes of North America by designing public parks and gardens, neighborhoods, and institutional campuses. He foresaw the role that parks can play for the enactment of democracy in a multi-ethnic, multiracial society.

Cotton will examine these themes during a travelogue of Olmsted-designed master landscapes across North America. Cotton is the originator and consulting producer of the PBS film Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America which will screen in the Dixon Education Building March 30 at 3 p.m. There is no charge for the film screening, but reservations are required.

The Garden Club of Palm Beach will present Sarah Boynton,

“Techniques and Secrets of Botanical Arts Entries,” April

13 at 10 a.m. (a talk that was rescheduled from January 13). Boynton, whose Botanical Arts creations have won several awards in shows across the country, will share techniques, secrets, and planning ideas for your flower show entries.

J.P. Getty’s genuine passion for ancient art translated into a prized collection of Roman and Greek marbles. Join Silvia Beltrametti for “Collecting Antiquities: J.P. Getty and His Legacy” (March 21 at 3 p.m.). Beltrametti is a Lecturer in the Department of Art History, Theory and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Jane Day will discuss her book, From Palm

Beach to Shangri La: The Architecture of Marion Sims Wyeth,

on April 18 at 3 p.m. Homes, pool houses, and gardens in paradise by the great architect Marion Sims Wyeth — progenitor of the fabled Palm Beach style and designer of Doris Duke’s legendary Hawaiian retreat, Shangri La — are featured in the first in-depth book to consider Wyeth’s most alluring creations. Thomas Krens, the former Director and Chief Artistic Officer of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (1988-2008), will lecture on “Arts Institutions in the 21st Century” (April 28 at 3 p.m.). Krens was responsible for the operation of five museums and has participated in over 40 museum projects worldwide.

This talk is presented in conjunction with the documentary, American Masters: Sketches of Frank Gehry, on Friday, April 29 at 5:30 p.m.

Rick Atkinson

America & World War II: A conversation with David M. Rubenstein

Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. $20 • No charge for Four Arts members Presented in partnership with the New-York Historical Society

How did U.S. involvement in World War II — as well as the leadership of its key figures — change the course of the largest war in history? Rick Atkinson, a 2020 Founders and Us speaker, returns to The Four Arts to discuss the consequential campaigns fought by American forces in Europe and North Africa, including the liberation of Paris, the Battle of the Bulge, and the final thrust into the heart of the Third Reich. Atkinson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and journalist, and the author of the Liberation Trilogy.

Also in March and April

Daniel Quinn Mills will present “Hard

Power and Peace” (March 24 at

11 a.m.). China, Russia, North Korea and Iran have been rapidly building hard power, while American hard power appears to be declining. Should America reduce its footprint to avoid conflict, or should it strengthen its power dramatically to deter rivals? Which is the best path to peace? Prior to his live performance on April 10, listen to pianist Joshua Rifkin discuss

“Genuine Negro Ragtime: Scott Joplin’s African-American Identity”

on April 6 at 6 p.m. in the Walter S. Gubelmann Auditorium. Joplin, son of formerly enslaved people, never forgot his roots. He made repeatedly clear that the history and distinctive idioms of Black Americans lay at the core of all he undertook.

All programs take place in the Dixon Education Building Tickets are required for all programs The Four Arts app ■ fourarts.org ■ customerservice@fourarts.org ■ (561) 655-7226

The History of the Grands Châteaux of the Loire Valley and Île-de-France

with Russell Kelley

Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to noon March 2, 9, 23, 30; April 6 $100 for 5-part study or $25 per class

In this series, Russell Kelley will link architecture with history. Trace the evolution of the French château from the earliest stone donjons and châteaux forts of the Middle Ages, through the magnificent Renaissance châteaux built by the Valois kings in the Loire Valley upon their return from the Italian Wars, and on to the châteaux de plaisance built by the Bourbon kings and queens and their court in and around Paris in the French Baroque/Classical style. Kelley will conclude with the Château du Louvre, whose history spans eight centuries. Kelley is the author of The Making of Paris: The Story of How Paris Evolved from a Fishing Village into the World’s Most Beautiful City (Lyons Press, 2021), and Vice President of the Alliance Française Miami Metro. He has lived in France for nearly 30 years and has visited every château featured in this series many times since his first visit to the Loire Valley 50 years ago.

Lady Diana Cooper: “The Most Beloved Woman in England”

with Lacy Davisson

Mondays from 10 to 11 a.m. March 7, 14, 21 $65 for 3-part series or $25 per class

The era from World War I through The Jazz Age and just beyond World War II in England and France was a time of explosive creativity in the arts, world political upheaval, and enormous technological advances that changed everyday life. Lady Diana Manners Cooper (1892-1986), the British aristocrat, stage and film actress, designer, author, volunteer nurse, and famously glamorous social figure was at the center of it all. Art historian Lacy Davisson will discuss Cooper and her circle of English aristocrats and intellectuals including: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Cecil Beaton, Winston Churchill, D.H. Lawrence, Sergei Diaghilev, Evelyn Waugh, Virginia Woolf, Nancy Mitford, and D.W. Griffith. ALSO IN MARCH AND APRIL

Legendary Film Directors

with Bill David

Meets from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. $35 per class March 24: John Frankenheimer April 14: Stanley Kubrick Shell Chic with Robin Grubman

Thursdays at 10 a.m. $150 per class, all materials included March 17: Panels April 7: Urns

Personalities, Events and Artists of the 18th Century

with Juliette de Marcellus

Fridays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Session II: March 4, 11, 18, 25; April 1, 8, 15, 22 $175 per 8-class session

The Evolution of the Symphony Orchestra

with Juliette de Marcellus

Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 16; April 13 $25 per class

A Passion for Opera

with Ariane Csonka Comstock

Mondays from noon to 1:30 p.m. Session II: March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18, 25 $175 per 8-class session

K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple Supper)

Party with Shelley Gubelmann

March 25 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. $75