Arts and Crafts

Arts and Crafts movement

The Arts and Crafts movement was formed in the United Kingdom due to the effects of industrialization.  This movement was formed because the artists wanted to keep the traditional craftsmanship alive whilst still producing good quality products unlike the products that were being manufactured at that time. Examples of professionals which formed part of this movement included artists, architects, designers, writers and craftsmen. These professionals believed that handcrafted products were superior to machine made products. The believed that machine production ruined both consumer and creator.  The movement’s characteristics were very simple designs, which they’ve made use of linear shapes to show the natural unity between form, function and decoration combined together.

 

Augustus W. N. Pugin was among the first designers to realize that the esthetic standards were declining and that people needed something different in their everyday life which was more user friendly. He thought that good design could reform society. Pugin is best known for the new House of Parliament (1835 – 1837). Pugin’s architecture and artifacts served as an ongoing inspiration for designers such as John Ruskin, William Morris and William Burgess that were some of the leading Arts and Crafts practitioners. The Arts and Crafts Movement had two phases in England. When the movement started Morris led the first ones which were inspired from animal, bird and plant forms. One can see them in the wallpaper designs Morris was doing at that time. The designers that were in the second phase, among them Arthur Mackmurdo of The Century Guild, took a more abstract approach. Some added movement in their designs, while others got inspiration from exotic, mythical creatures.

Here are some examples of the characteristics of this latter approach.

William de Morgan Ceramic Designs

  Walter Crane’s Pottery Designs

 Charles Ashbee

Advocates of the Arts and Crafts decided to form a series of guild and crafts societies. Every society had their leaders, style and specialization to discuss and share ideas. The aim of these guilds was to advance education in all the visual arts and crafts. They wanted to give lectures, demonstrations, meetings, discussions and other methods. They also wanted to teach to foster and maintain high standards of design and craftsmanship, in any way that could help the community.

The Art Workers Guild was formed by two existing groups; The Fifteen, a group founded by writer and designer Lewis F. Day and designer/ illustrator Walter Crane and a group of five young architects known as The St. George Society. This guild had an impressive membership which included the likes of Morris, Ashbee, Mackmurdo and Charles Voysey.

                             

Original chair from the Arts and Crafts Movement

          This is a chair that can be bought from a company. They have a lot of similarities which shows how we are going back to their designs. It also shows how much the designers of that time were really ahead of us.

References:

William De Morgan 1839-1917 - ArtiFact :: Free Encyclopedia of Everything Art, Antiques & Collectibles. 2014. William De Morgan 1839-1917 - ArtiFact :: Free Encyclopedia of Everything Art, Antiques & Collectibles. [ONLINE] Available at: http://gaukartifact.com/2013/03/18/william-de-morgan-1839-1917/. [Accessed 03 November 2014].

Michael W Moses Pottery: Walter Crane (1845-1915) Victorian Artist. 2014.Michael W Moses Pottery: Walter Crane (1845-1915) Victorian Artist. [ONLINE] Available at: http://mwmosespottery.blogspot.com/2011/04/walter-crane-1845-1915-victorian-artist.html. [Accessed 03 November 2014].

 C. R. Ashbee Bird Brooch _ Arts & Crafts Jewelry ( Jewellery ). 2014. C. R. Ashbee Bird Brooch _ Arts & Crafts Jewelry ( Jewellery ). [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.tademagallery.com/BritishAC1900/Ashbee_Bird_Brooch.htm. [Accessed 03 November 2014].

 Earthly Basics Dining Room Furniture Amish Pedestal Tables Chairs | Earthly Basics. 2014. Earthly Basics Dining Room Furniture Amish Pedestal Tables Chairs | Earthly Basics. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.earthlybasics.com/furniture/dining-room/tables-chairs/. [Accessed 03 November 2014].

 The Art of the Americas Wing: Level 2 Galleries. 2014. The Art of the Americas Wing: Level 2 Galleries. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.mfa.org/americas-wing/descriptions_02.html. [Accessed 03 November 2014].