William Morris and the ‘Arts and Craft Movement’

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William Morris and the ‘Arts and Craft Movement’ The ‘Arts and Craft Movement’ started in England in the 19th century, under the influence of William Morris. It started as a social and aesthetic movement dedicated to reestablishing the importance of craftsmanship in an era of mechanization and mass production. It was a movement that focused on architecture and the decorative arts. It started in England and spread to the United States from about 1870 to 1920. Characterized by the simplicity of design, handcrafted objects, and local materials, his name comes from the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society from 1888. Fighting against the gap between production and demand, William Morris`s creation was an attempt to revive crafts as he felt that people were starting to become out of touch with nature. The handmade products came with a high cost, but they were a big success. The movement`s main goals were to use ‘the rational structure of an object and the meaning of it’ in the choosing materials ("truth of material") and expressing the fabrication process. It affected nearly every aspect of household design, from architecture to pottery. It embraced simplicity of line, good, durable materials, and the craftsmanship. It often had patterns inspired by British flora and fauna and used the vernacular, or domestic, traditions of the British countryside. It involved progressive artists, architects and designers, philanthropists, amateurs and middle-class women seeking work in the home. The major designers associated with the movement were William Morris, A. H. Mackmurdo, Lewis F. Day, C. R. Ashbee, and C. F. Voysey but also the writer John Ruskin. John Ruskin called “for a rejection of the increasing material preoccupations of contemporary society and a return to the dignity of labour enjoyed in pre-industrial times”. William Morris (1834 – 1896) was an English textile
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