Bloomsbury Women: Distinct Figures in Life and Art

This beautifully illustrated overview of the Bloomsbury circle focuses on its rich and diverse artistic output. Through color as well as black-and-white reproductions of paintings, textile designs, photographs and line drawings, March (Christina Rossetti) emphasizes the influence of the Postimpressionists on the early paintings and designs of Vanessa Bell and on the innovative prose of her sister, Virginia Woolf. Marsh's well-organized history of the group's creative development includes the Omega workshops begun by Roger Fry in 1912, as well as informed commentary on their relationships with one another. Although the illustrations are dominated by the works of Vanessa Bell and Dora Carrington, painter Duncan Grant-Bell's longtime companion-is also heavily represented. Descriptions and photos of Bloomsbury meeting places, such as Ottoline Morrell's Garsington and Bell's Charleston, are also provided. An excellent addition to Bloomsbury studies that will be of interest to both devotees and newcomers. (Mar.)