POST 01: Arts and Crafts
The Arts and Crafts movement is an English
movement of the 2nd half of the 19th century (1860-1910)
that preceded the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian design. Artists, architects, furniture designers and patrons who took part of that movement, wanted to create and produce good designs that are well crafted and neutralize the cheap, vapid, and meaningless ornament produced by the industrials that favored two practices that were hated and harshly criticized by these reformists, which are the mass production aspect and the use of poor materials.
 |
| Sussex chair designed by William Morris. |
 |
Wallpaper by William Morris called Honeysuckle.
|
When it came to architecture, many houses "were designed from the inside out". Architects wanted to avoid symmetry that had no meaning, meaning that had for example a window with no particular room behind it. This approach was considered modern and was admired by many. As a result of building houses from the inside out, these houses were characterized by their vernacular form and irregularity in the fenestration, as well as built-in bookshelves and storage spaces that became structural.
 |
| Red House built for William Morris. |
Through what I have learned, I absolutely understand as a future designer why these reformists wanted to "counteract the ugly side of industrialization" and the Victorian designs. They wanted designs that were authentic, well made with good materials, meaningful and functional. A design should always be purposeful and somehow beautiful too and that is the job of any kind of designers.
What I love about this movement, is that it seems that there were some sort of unity within every kind of artists. And because of that, I believe through all of these mediums, that the Arts and Crafts movement had a big impact and still has today, with the help of writings, poetry and socialism.
Current Applications:
 |
| Stained Glass designed in 1999. |
 |
A Georgian farmhouse in Northampthonshire inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement.
|
ONE STEP FURTHER
The reason I chose him, is because he seemed to be a very versatile designer that could design furniture, wallpapers, houses, interiors, details, carpets, and draperies. Voysey was a proof and testimony of how mediums were united in the Arts and Crafts movement.
Because he disliked the artificial aspect of design and the aspect of having too much luxury, his style was pretty much characterized with clear plans, "the relative lack of decoration" and the overuse of white paint. His design was yet simple but innovative.
 |
| Voysey's wooden armchairs. |
 |
Callum wallpaper by Voysey in 1896.
|
Martha, I agree that there was unity among the designers, because they worked together they were able to make a bigger impact. They were learning from each other, partnering together and inspiring each other. I also like how you said they worked to counteract the ugly side of the Industrial Revolution because the Revolution itself was not all bad.
ReplyDeleteMartha,
ReplyDeleteExcellent summary of Arts and Crafts period. The Victorian period and Industrial Revolution together brought about the Arts and Crafts movement.
There was unity among designers as well as in "the arts". Craftmanship in general was elevated to the same status as an architect or artist. There was a great equalization among various art forms.
I appreciated the images you chose as you featured furniture, wall coverings and interiors.
Voysey was one of my favorites during this period. He was a trailblazer in the use of white painted trim and interiors.
Another interesting fact is that the wall coverings from this period are still being manufactured today. I had a client who wallpapered her home in Morris wall coverings. They have stood the test of time.
Martha,
ReplyDeleteThis was a great summary. It's true that the movement was aiming to rid object of the "ugliness" of the Industrial Revolution. Artists tried to be versatile with their gifts and their quality. I love how you used the Sussex chair and the Drawing Room as examples for this movement, because I found them to be so eye-catching as well.