At the close of the 19th Century in Britain, the Arts and Crafts Movement was created in response to the dire consequences of the industrial revolution on social ideals and beauty. Industrialization had an effect not only on the amount of goods being produced, but also on the masterful craftsmanship that went into them.
The Arts and Crafts Movement: How it all Started
Realizing that there might be an improved method of making items, while still preserving the talented craftsmanship. William Morris, John Ruskin, and Augustus Pugin were three of the leading players that drove this transformation. They put in a great effort to make sure that the transformation caused by industrialisation would not diminish any of the classic artistic and ornamental pieces. The arts and crafts movement flourished due to their faith that art had the power to alter societal norms and was subsequently seen in Britain, America, and other parts of Europe.
The History of The Arts and Crafts Movement
The name “Arts and Crafts” originated from the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, an organisation based in London that was initiated by Walter Crane. It had been desired to lessen the impact of the industrial revolution for some time, but it was with the Arts and Crafts Movement that these longings were actualized. Beginning in the late 19th century up until the 1920s, the movement was a collective of various groups consisting of individuals from a range of disciplines, such as societies, artists, designers, architects, and artisans, all of whom were dedicated to generating decorative arts. William Morris, who was a successful designer and producer, was a major proponent of this cause.
William Morris joined the movement not long after its inception, but his imaginative designs significantly impacted the work of many other artists. This resulted in many organizations popping up in Britain and other areas that worked to spread the ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement. This quickly followed the Great Exhibition of 1851, which was widely known for the implementation of substandard components that were not natural and too flamboyant. John Ruskin’s disapproval of the Exhibition sparked the flame for the Arts and Crafts Movement, and led people such as William Morris to be motivated by it.
During the 1890s, the initiative was accepted in various areas of England, such as Glasgow, London, Edinburgh, and Manchester. It was no longer connected to one particular person or a limited number of people. Rather than just existing in a few places, Arts and Crafts had developed into a far-reaching way of designing and producing objects. People believed that Arts and Crafts could alter the social values of those who adopted it. This paved the way for the creation of academies of art, workshops, colleges that specialize in technical subjects, as well as individual artists.
Artworks of The Arts & Crafts Movement
The Red House
The Red House is still viewed as a major exemplar of the Arts and Crafts movement’s philosophical ideas. Morris and Phillip Webb collaborated to construct Morris’ inaugural abode. The house was built with red bricks, and no fancy decorations were used, just traditional methods of construction. A handful of imaginative trendsetters who were close with Morris devoted a lot of energy to the Red House, helping him in executing intricate ornamentation. Such friends include Dante Gabriel Rosetti and Edward Burne-Jones. Regretably, owing to the position of the home and his exacting standards, he had to move away from the residence after residing there for five years. Morris was thankful for how strongly the Red House would remain in the Arts and Crafts field, being still present for future generations.
Morris & Co.
The business known as Morris & Co. initially began as Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., and was the brainchild of Morris and his colleagues who had worked under him at the Red House. This interior design company, established in 1860, became a parent company for numerous inventive designers looking to bring back the high quality of works created during the Middle Ages. Morris and Company endeavored to put into practice the idea of merging art and craftsmanship, which was inspired by John Ruskin. The members of Morris and Company were celebrated for their attention to creating attractive and creative pieces, such as wallpapers, ceramics, jewelry, tapestries, furniture, and drapes. The work of Morris and Company had a huge impact on the overall design aesthetic of Britain, and many of their designs are still influencing designers and producers today.
Sideboard
Charles Voysey’s sideboard provides a great example of various aspects of the Arts and Crafts style of furniture. The plain design looks so rustic that it could almost be mistaken for a piece of traditional art. The four legs of the sideboard, even devoid of any decorative features, provide support for its entire weight. At the bottom, rudimentary circular platforms, which likely were purposeful for holding candles, adhere to the non-modern tone of the setting the piece was intended for. The choice of wood for the Arts & Crafts furniture is oak, a frequent selection for this type. It was deduced to showcase the wood grain and also stained to give prominence to the material’s surface. The setup for the sideboard’s storage is straightforward and uncomplicated: it consists of a cupboard with maybe a rack, a table-top, and a shelf affixed to the rear. Virtually nothing about the piece is hidden or complicated. The only decoration on the sideboard is the noticeable dark brass door hinges with heart-shaped edges. The feet of the sideboard seem to be the only aspect that keeps the item as one, strengthening the feeling of stability and robustness, while their round shapes contrast with the other sharp edges. It seems as though the hinges were taken from a church door from the Gothic era and used to make this sideboard, giving it an aged look and hinting at the Middle Ages from where the Arts & Crafts look came from.
Gamble House
If the bungalow is regarded as the ideal Arts & Crafts house, the Gamble House would then be seen as the perfect, extended example. The house, created by the architectural firm belonging to the Greene Brothers who relocated from Massachusetts to California, was crafted for the executive of Procter & Gamble. This structure serves as an example of how the ideologies of simplicity and warmth were transformed into the privilege of the wealthy. This building is still viewed as the finest example of the design work by the Greenes and is often referred to as an example of the Western Stick Style. The Gamble house is in harmony with nature in almost every way. The second-floor porch and the terrace that goes around the front to the back of the house are what exemplify its flattened and wide shape. The olive paint of the shingle siding appears to be almost one with the green trees, with the windows and doorways framed by dark timber. The chocolate-colored coloration spreads over the inside, and is featured in many of the surfaces, creating consistency in between the environment outside and the interior. The stained glass of the front door serves to amplify the sense of balance and unity created within the space, showcasing a design of a Japanese black pine to recognize the dwelling’s location near the Pacific region. The inside of the house creates a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere, while not being flooded with light, which Arts & Crafts homes are known to appreciate. The Greenes designed the house with an exceptional thoughtfulness regarding the structural integrity, connecting the rafters beneath the roof with the edges of the eaves and visibly showcasing the joinery on staircases, beams, and posts inside.
The Kelmscott Press
With a production of over 18,000 during its first 80 years since its founding, the Kelmscott Press is an impressive work of art that Morris is still acclaimed for today. The Kelmscott Press was founded in honor of the village of Kelmscott in Oxford, which was the home of Morris. This printing center dedicated to high-end typography produced some of the best books in its day. Morris initiated the Press following a captivating address concerning early printed books and ancient documents. The aim was to make the material easier to read, but Morris also wanted his Kelmscott Press to uphold aesthetics standards.
It was clear from the decorative title pages, intricate borders, and fonts which Morris crafted. Every book was printed on handmade paper. The materials employed to make handmade books under the Kelmscott Press were not sufficient to make a profit. The Press was therefore not financially successful. The designs and artwork produced by this Press were inspirational for European and American presses. The growth of graphic design and typography in the 1900s would not have been possible without the contributions of the Kelmscott Press.
Wallpaper Designs
Morris’ wallpapers are likely the foremost factor in why he is seen as the King of Arts and Crafts. The patterns created by Morris in his wallpapers, which are comprised of crossed branches, trellises, and curling leaves, remain extraordinary and enduring. His wallpaper designs achieved success due to his adherence to natural elements. This artwork is a representation of the organic shapes that he observed while in meadows, gardens, and enclosed fences. He incorporated a few of his wall covering styles in the adornment of his Red House and various other edifices like St. James’ Palace and the Balmoral Castle. William Morris, thanks to Morris and Company, managed to create over 50 different wallpaper designs.
The Beliefs of the Arts and Crafts Movement
The Arts and Crafts movement chiefly focused on the embellishment of objects and designing of buildings. This incorporated mosaic pieces, jewelry, pottery, furniture and decorations, stained glass, tapestry creations, and printed fabrics. The artisans who were part of this ideological system put a great amount of importance on fine workmanship, taking cues from the outdoors and highlighting the natural attractiveness of the substances used, all while being guided by the principles of innocence and straightforwardness. The actions of the movement were in direct opposition to the changes the industrialisation brought about, where people were forced to work under extraordinarily oppressive and inhumane conditions in factories and mills in cities. The individuals involved in the Arts and Crafts movement held the viewpoint that industrialisation not only weakened societal principles but also harmed the environment in which craft skills could thrive.
The Arts and Crafts Movement expressed disapproval of industrialization due to its overlooking of the material used to make an object, which was seen to have a significant impact on how people perceived it. They were of the opinion that ornamental art and the skill necessary to make it was the basis for forming people’s thoughts regarding manufactured objects. The majority of the views held by members and creators of the Arts and Crafts movement focused on advancing socialism. The majority of the creators and artists who built this platform had socialist ideals. They devoted the majority of their funds to promoting respectful interactions between bosses and their staff.
Spread to the United States
The ideas behind British Arts and Crafts were brought to the United States in the 1860s and underwent widespread promotion and discussion through the media in the two decades that followed. In 1897, the inaugural American Arts & Crafts Exhibition opened at Copley Hall in Boston in April, boasting over one thousand works of art crafted by 160 people, with approximately half being female. The success of the craftsman’s gallery led to the formation of the Society of Arts & Crafts on the last day of June, whose mission was to raise standards in handcrafting and stress the need to use appropriate shapes and materials for a specific function in creations. Charles Eliot Norton, who worked as an art history professor at Harvard, was selected as the first president of the SAC. It was just as significant that in 1896, the Arts & Crafts Society, which didn’t have a special name, was formed by Jane Addams at Hull House in Chicago. This was an offshoot of the Progressive Movement, and was meant to educate recent immigrants in useful professions so they could become self-supporting.
Before that time, Americans aiming for reform had already become inspired by the mutualist attitude of the Arts & Crafts. In 1895, Elbert Hubbard, a bibliophile and chattering former dealer of soaps who had gone to England and absorbed the philosophies of William Morris, established the Roycroft movement of artisans in East Aurora, New York. Over the course of the next two decades, Hubbard’s combination of metalworkers, furniture makers, leather artisans and, naturally, printers and bookbinders, would become one of the fiercest proponents of the movement in the United States until his demise on the Lusitania in May 1915. Utopian societies focused on the Arts & Crafts movement were created in places such as Rose Valley, Pennsylvania, and the Byrdcliffe Colony in Woodstock, New York. In the year 1907, Gustav Stickley created a vocational school for young males named Craftsman Farms located in Parsippany, New Jersey to enable students to experience an Arts & Crafts atmosphere. However, it ended up as a financial flop and Stickley stretched out his family’s residence in the structures.
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