William Roberts, “The Barber’s Shop”, 1946, Oil on Canvas, 50.8 x 40.6 cm, Tate Museum, London
William Roberts joined the Vorticists in 1914. Founded that year by artist and writer Wyndham Lewis, the Vorticist objective was to break with the decayed state of British art and begin anew. Its style relied on a combination of the styles of Cubism and Futurism. Roberts’ work exemplifies some of the motifs, while equally retaining a connotation of Fernand Léger’s tubular representation of human figures.
After the war, Roberts returned to London with a different aesthetic in mind. The experiences of the war had changed him. He now focussed on the everyday city life of people; but he imbued his work with his pre-war architectural aesthetic and a renewed concentration on the human figure.