David Bomberg

Key facts

Lived

1890–1957, British

Movement

• Modernism

1. 1923Painted "Imaginative Composition - 'The Tent'" aged 33.
2. 1925Painted "Jerusalem, Looking to Mount Scopus" aged 35.
3. 1932Painted "Self-Portrait" aged 42.
4. 1937Painted "The Artist's Wife and Baby" aged 47.
5. 1942Painted "Bomb Store" aged 52.
6. 1947Painted "Tregor and Tregoff, Cornwall" aged 57.

• What is David Bomberg's most famous work?+

  David Bomberg is well known for *The Mud Bath*, completed in 1914. The painting depicts a vapour bath used by the Jewish community of Whitechapel, London. Bomberg, the son of Polish immigrants, employed angular and semi-abstract forms, which were intended to express the dynamism of the 20th century and the excitement of the Machine Age. Bomberg was a founder member of the London Group, an exhibiting society formed in 1913. Although he remained somewhat separate from the Cubists, Futurists, and Vorticists, who were all active at the time, he identified with some of their theories. In the 1920s, Bomberg moved away from geometric forms and adopted a more representational style, often using expressive brushstrokes.
• What should I know about David Bomberg's prints?+

  David Bomberg was a painter, but he also produced prints, mainly woodcuts. Printmaking allows an artist to create multiple near-identical images from a single block or set of blocks. These can be 'open' editions, where there is no set limit, or 'limited' editions. The artist decides the size of the edition, as the block can be used many times before wearing out. For example, Thomas Bewick's wood engraving of Newcastle was printed 900,000 times. During printing, the artist makes proofs; these are test prints that allow them to check and correct the image at each stage. This process allows for fine tuning of colour balance, elimination of unwanted marks, and consideration of what to keep. When the artist is satisfied, they create the edition. Each print is numbered, titled, and signed in pencil. The edition number appears on the bottom left margin of the print, the title in the centre, and the signature on the right.
• What style or movement did David Bomberg belong to?+

  David Bomberg's artistic affiliations are complex, as he engaged with several modern movements in the early 20th century. He is often associated with Vorticism, an English avant-garde movement, though he remained somewhat detached from its core. In 1914, Bomberg had a one-man show at the Chenil Gallery. His preface echoed Post-Impressionist language while aligning with Futurism and Vorticism. He expressed a search for "an intenser Expression" and aimed for "the construction of pure form". Critics often labelled his works, such as *In the Hold*, as Cubist, but they could also be described using Post-Impressionist terms. Bomberg exhibited with the Camden Town Group (or London Group) in Brighton in 1913. This exhibition included artists influenced by Cubist and Futurist styles. Although some critics found these experimental paintings incomprehensible, Bomberg's involvement demonstrates his connection to the broader modernist milieu in Britain before the First World War.
• What techniques or materials did David Bomberg use?+

  David Bomberg moved from geometric forms to representational styles in the 1920s. He often employed expressive brushstrokes and colours. Bomberg's methods were further developed in the 1920s and 1930s. One of Bomberg's students, Auerbach, used thick impasto paint to portray chaotic London scenes. Bomberg held that the sense of touch precedes sight, believing drawing creates an architecture of touch and weight. He spoke of "the spirit in the mass" and drawing as "a set of directions". "The Mud Bath", completed in 1914, is an oil on canvas work that shows a vapour bath used by the Jewish community of Whitechapel in London. Bomberg used angular and semi-abstract forms to express the vitality and dynamism of the 20th century and the excitement of the Machine Age.
• What was David Bomberg known for?+

  David Bomberg (1890-1957) was a British artist known for his geometric, semi-abstract paintings and later, his more representational work. Born in Birmingham to Polish immigrants, Bomberg explored themes of urban life and the dynamism of the Machine Age. He was a founder member of the London Group in 1913, an exhibiting society. Although he kept his distance from Cubism, Futurism and Vorticism, he engaged with some of their theories. His painting *The Mud Bath* (1914) depicts a Jewish vapour bath in Whitechapel, London, using angular forms to convey the bathers' movements. In the 1920s, Bomberg moved away from geometric forms. He adopted a more representational style, often employing expressive brushstrokes. He taught at Borough Polytechnic in London from 1945 to 1953. Bomberg emphasised the importance of touch in art. He encouraged his students to develop a personal, organic approach. Pupils such as Auerbach and Kossoff went on to create figurative art.
• When did David Bomberg live and work?+

  David Bomberg was born in Birmingham, England, in 1890. His family was Polish Jewish, and they moved to London when he was five years old. Bomberg trained at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1911 to 1913, where he was associated with artists such as Jacob Epstein and Wyndham Lewis. During the First World War, Bomberg served in the Royal Engineers. After the war, he travelled extensively, living and working in Palestine (now Israel) during the 1920s, and in Spain during the 1930s. These locations provided new subject matter for his art, including landscapes and architectural studies. He returned to Britain before the outbreak of the Second World War. David Bomberg died in London in 1957.
• Where can I see David Bomberg's work?+

  You can find works by David Bomberg in several public collections. Many are located in the United Kingdom, including the Tate Gallery, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, the Courtauld Institute Galleries, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, all in London. Outside of London, Bomberg's work can be seen at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, Leeds City Art Gallery, and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh. Additional locations include the Ulster Museum in Belfast, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham, and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. These galleries provide opportunities to view Bomberg's paintings and drawings.
• Where was David Bomberg from?+

  David Bomberg was born in Birmingham in 1890. His parents were Polish immigrants. He is associated with London because he depicted the Jewish community of Whitechapel in London in his painting *The Mud Bath*. He was a founder member of the London Group, an exhibiting society formed in 1913. Although Bomberg kept his distance from the Cubists, Futurists and Vorticists, all active at the time, he did identify with some of their theories. From 1945 to 1953, Bomberg taught part time at the Borough Polytechnic in London. He died in London in 1957. Two of his pupils were Auerbach and Kossoff, who were promoted by the art dealer Henry Roland and the Beaux-Arts Gallery owner Helen Lessore.
• Who did David Bomberg influence?+

  David Bomberg taught at the Borough Polytechnic in London between 1945 and 1953. Despite not being well regarded by the establishment, he encouraged his students to follow a personal, organic approach. Two students who went on to achieve recognition were Frank Auerbach and Leon Kossoff. Auerbach, who had been raised in England after being born in Berlin, studied with Bomberg. Bomberg believed the sense of touch was more psychologically important than sight. He considered drawing to be the creation of an architecture of touch and weight. He spoke of ‘the spirit in the mass’ and drawing as ‘a set of directions’. Auerbach's portrayals of London scenes, using thick impasto paint, echoed this philosophy. Bomberg's teaching set Auerbach against the thin, linear, post-Cubist look of much English art in the early 1950s.
• Who is david bomberg?+

  David Bomberg was an artist who remained detached from Bloomsbury. His early works are associated with Vorticism, and critics discussing them often used vocabulary from Post-Impressionism.
• Who was David Bomberg?+

  David Bomberg (1890-1957) was a British artist born in Birmingham. The son of Polish immigrants, he is known for his semi-abstract and later representational paintings. Early in his career, Bomberg used angular forms to express the dynamism of the Machine Age. One example is *The Mud Bath* (1914), which depicts a Jewish vapour bath in London's Whitechapel. Blue and white figures are shown around a red rectangle, with a dark pillar in the centre. Bomberg was a founder member of the London Group, an exhibiting society formed in 1913. Although he kept his distance from Cubism, Futurism and Vorticism, he identified with some of their theories. In the 1920s, he moved away from geometric forms, adopting a more representational style with expressive brushstrokes. From 1945 to 1953, Bomberg taught at the Borough Polytechnic in London. He developed expressive methods that he passed on to his students, including Frank Auerbach and Leon Kossoff, though his approach was not always accepted by the establishment. Bomberg believed that touch was more psychologically important than sight, and that drawing created an architecture of touch and weight.
• Why are David Bomberg's works important today?+

  David Bomberg (1890-1957) is significant because of his influence on later British figurative painters, and for his early modernist works. Born in Birmingham to Polish immigrants, Bomberg explored the dynamism of the 20th century. He was a founder member of the London Group in 1913, but remained independent of Cubism, Futurism and Vorticism, while sharing some of their ideas. His early work, such as *The Mud Bath* (1914), used angular, semi-abstract forms to depict a Jewish vapour bath in London's Whitechapel. Bomberg sought to construct "pure form", using language associated with Post-Impressionism, Futurism, and Vorticism. After the 1920s, Bomberg moved to a more representational style, with expressive brushstrokes. Between 1945 and 1953, he taught at Borough Polytechnic in London. Though the establishment was dubious, Bomberg encouraged his students to follow a personal, organic approach. His teaching influenced artists such as Frank Auerbach and Leon Kossoff, who developed expressive methods using paint. Auerbach saw drawing as an architecture of touch and weight, reflecting Bomberg's idea of "the spirit in the mass".