The public interest in and demand for the linocuts produced by the artists of the Grosvenor School in the 1920s and 30s has never been so great. The prints of Claude Flight, Cyril Power, Sybil Andrews and Lill Tschudi, among others, have a worldwide reputation. Their popularity can be attributed to the vibrancy and energy they portray. Following in the footsteps of Futurism, they captured the spirit of their time, immortalising the rapidly changing world.
Through his teaching of the subject at the Grosvenor, Claude Flight ignited a new interest in the technique of linocutting. He actively promoted his own work and that of his pupils both in England and abroad and encouraged prominent London galleries to hold regular exhibitions. His students often travelled from abroad to attend the school and further spread its reputation on returning to their home countries.
This, the largest exhibition of the Grosvenor School linocuts since the 1980s, brings together the work of many of Claude Flight's most successful pupils, including some of the lesser-known artists such as Leonard Beaumont, William Greengrass and Edith Lawrence.
The show coincides with the release of a new book on the movement, The Cutting Edge of Modernity, written by Gordon Samuel and Nicola Penny and published by Lund Humphries. This reviews the principle artists of the movement and discusses how they varied in their subject matter and technical approach. The process of linocutting is also examined including the various papers and inks that were employed. The book is fully illustrated in colour throughout with over fifty illustrations of these remarkable prints.
The Cutting Edge of Modernity is available to buy, priced at £16.99, from the gallery.
|
