Blast, a modernist journal, was created by Wyndham Lewis alongside writers such as Ezra Pound in 1914. Its explosive cover – bold BLAST lettering set against a magenta background– serves as a visual manifesto rejecting the ornate traditions of the Victorians and Romantics. Blast promoted Vorticism, a movement born from Imagism in literature and Cubism/Futurism in visual arts. The Vorticism movement (and its literary counterpart Imagism) sought to reject tradition and the standardized, polite systems of the time by focusing on clear and precise imagery. The image is a visual representation of the movement as it is aggressive, minimal, and modern.
Works Cited:
“Modernist Journals | Blast.” Modjourn.org, modjourn.org/journal/blast/.
Poetry Foundation. “Poetry Foundation.” Poetry Foundation, 2010, www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/69480/vortex.
Unknown. "Cover of BLAST Magazine." 1914. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blast_titel.png. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
