Second Defence System

The present work appears to be a study for The Wiring Party, sold in these Rooms (21 January 2020, lot 4). These smaller watercolour and chalk drawings, such as the present work, are Roberts' most original and visceral contributions to the recording of the First World War. These works still show the influence of Cubism and the Italian Futurists, however, the celebration of modernity through abstracted forms is supplanted by a grittier reality. The menace of power replaces the pre-war optimistic universalism that the Vorticists strived towards. In works such as Second Defence System, Roberts reflects on the human consequence of mechanical progress while still respecting the bravery and dignity of the men who fought and died for their country.

We are very grateful to David Cleall and Bob Davenport for their assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.