Duncan Grant besides an enthusiastic painter, sketcher, designer of textiles, pottery aand theatrical sets, was a popular
figure in the avant-garde scene,.[1] He joined the Bloomsbury group around 1909-1910 and from then he became a supportive member of post-impressionism. The connection with the two other painters of the exhibition was catalytic. Roger Fry's Francophilia influenced Grant's work, while the bond with Vanessa Bell was deep and essential. A link which, despite his homosexual choices, led to a child, Angelica Garnett. Regardless of the fact that he did not contribute raising his child, the Mother and Child drawing constitutes an example of his familiar emotions.
The influence of the French masters is obvious in the two other drawings. The seated Angel with a Guitar, reminiscent of figures of Matisse, is a design for a decorative box during the omega workshops. According to Quentin Bell this box used for holding wood at Charleston house, where Vanessa Bell moved in 1916 until her death.[2]
The second Post-impressionist exhibition in 1912 was a significant event for the Bloomsbury group. Duncan Grant's painting The Post-impressionism Ball depicts the celebration party after the exhibition at the Bells London home. The two seated figures are identified as Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell.