At Cambridge, Blunt felt particularly comfortable in the Bloomsbury Group. Later, he was also admitted to another influential circle, the ‘Apostles', a clandestine discussion group, which at the time was chaired by the future economist, John Maynard Keynes. For Blunt, it was about absolute social and intellectual recognition. What is more, the Apostles counted many other homosexuals among their members, such as the writer, John Foster.
In the very narrow world of Cambridge, Blunt, a brilliant conversationalist, was already considered an important figure, especially now he had found his true calling: art, or rather the research and critiquing of it. He had spent part of his childhood in Paris after his father was assigned as the vicar to the British Embassy's chapel. He became infatuated with the work of the French painter, Nicolas Poussin,2 who is unjustly underestimated and even ignored in modern times. The young critic decided to bring him out of the shadows and gradually became the international expert on the painter's works. At the beginning of the 1930s he wrote a brilliant thesis on the works of Poussin, which allowed him to make his debut as a speaker at the Courtauld Institute of Art, the first institute of its kind to be created in Britain. At the same time, he also wrote reviews for specialist journals.
Ann-Marie Lecoq
3
The key lesson is still relevant and comes from the personality of the teacher. An extremely acute sensitivity, a capacity to show the emotion of the masterpiece that can be felt in the writing: rare ingredients in synthetic works.The success is largely down to the staff, which could be defined as that of rational passion. Blunt constantly alternates the historical discourse and the detailed descriptions of the works that count and those he particularly likes. This series of analysis teaches us to see such things as Lescot’s Louvre, Claude Lorraine’s landscapes or Puget’s Milo of Croton. Finally, it is rare to find a great art historian who is equally sensitive to painting, architecture and sculpture. In this latter subject in particular, we must be grateful that he never failed to mention the location of the work, how it was seen from a distance, up close and from every angle.
In the 1930s and due to the influence of certain prominent professors, the Cambridge academic certainly leant to the left. Some students had become committed Marxists and the rise of totalitarianism in Italy and Spain, followed by the Spanish Civil War definitely added to this. Some students even signed up to the British Communist Party, in particular, a man who was to play a major role in the life of Anthony Blunt: Guy Burgess.4
Unlike his great friend Blunt, Burgess did not hide his homosexual preferences and was often rather provocative. What is more, he possessed a very exuberant personality and was a dazzling conversationalist. His one serious flaw was that he drank too much and often indulged in confidences when drunk; hardly prudent for a future spy. Indeed, it is rather miraculous that he was not unmasked earlier.
The next question is whether or not Blunt and Burgess had an affair? Probably. However, if they did, then it was very short and mainly because Burgess was only interested in passing fancies. Blunt was too reserved for Burgess and often acted as his ‘recruiting sergeant'. What is important is that the two men shared a deep friendship that would never fade, despite their differences.
A third year student called James Klugmann exerted a decisive political influence over Blunt and his classmates. Klugmann was a communist and had worked hard to spread Marxist ideology at Cambridge. Undeniably, this prestigious university was a fertile ground for the recruitment of future influential agents. The majority of them came from the upper classes, who upon leaving university would go on to hold important posts in society and it did not take long for Soviet agencies to realise the benefits of this. It should be noted that before the great Stalinist purges, the NKVD and Comintern5 had remarkable agents at their disposal: cultivated intellectuals, members of the European intelligentsia, including many multi-lingual Jews - many sincere activists who would later be decimated by Stalin.
The man who would become the main recruiter at Cambridge was Arnold Deutsch. A brilliant man, he spoke several languages and had obtained his PhD in Vienna. At first he worked as a courier for Comintern then as a NKVD agent, under the codename ‘Otto', and first recruited Kim Philby while he was in Vienna. By this time Philby was already politically active, even participating in street-fighting against the Austrian Nazis. After the defeat of the socialist workers militia (1934), Philby, and ‘Otto', retreated to Britain, but more particularly, to Cambridge. At Trinity College, Philby, under Deutsch's authority, began to gather his first recruitments, including Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess. In order not to arouse suspicion, the young men were told to break all ties with the Communist Party. Philby even worked for a conservative newspaper, covering the Spanish Civil War from the Franco side.
When Philby, Burgess and Maclean left Cambridge, ‘Otto' approached Blunt. Although he clearly espoused the ideas of the Party, Blunt was careful not to engage too frankly, either wishing to give the impression of a whimsical artist, or showing a desire for independence. Whatever the case, when Deutsch/Otto approached him, he did not run away. Of course, the NKVD agent did not immediately ask him to work directly for the Soviets, but rather to work for peace and against fascism. Blunt was persuaded relatively easily. As an intellectual who was already leading a double life by hiding his homosexuality, he was clearly fascinated by this other life being offered to him. He was then formally recruited by the NKVD and himself enlisted three other students, including John Cairncross, the so-called ‘fifth-man'.
Miranda Carter
6
Why did Burgess go after Blunt, who was not
