Above the Battlefield

The Bloomsbury Group, roundly condemned by the status quo for outspoken pacifism, is paired with the lesser-known Margaret Morris Theatre circle in the Chelsea neighborhood of London in this fascinating examination of the continuity of prewar modernism abetted by associations with the peace movement. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Brockington (art history, Univ. of Bristol) maintains that pacifist artists, writers, and performers exerted credible influence before and during the war that was central to the development of British modernism. Painting, Hellenistic dance, symbolist stage designs and performances, book illustration, International Lyceum Clubs, and Vernon Lee's allegorical avant-garde The Ballet of the Nations are recognized as potent arts of peace. An early 20th-century secular, liberal pacifism from Christian roots and values unfolds, concluding with connections to international peace movements and an idealization of America's indigenous cultures. Photos, rarely reproduced art, and thorough documentation of sources demonstrate considerable archival sleuthing.