Arts and Crafts essay
To understand the reasons of the Arts and Crafts Movement starting in Britain in the
1880’s, wemay compare it to the modern phenomenon of high-tech interiors considered
unwelcoming andlacking the true comfort of home, sweet home. The Scandinavian,
Provence and Eco styles using handmade objects and decorations together with plenty of natural
materials and patterns are preferred by many as those that effectively create a comfortable,
relaxinghome environment.
The Arts and Crafts Movement began in response and protest of architects, designers and
artists to the effects of industrialization, mass-production methods,poor working conditions
atfactories,and manufacturedconsumer goodsthat usually had poor design andquality.William
Morris, who isconsidered thefather and the guiding light of the Arts and Crafts Movement,
proclaimedits ideals:individualcraftsmanship, the home as a work of art, and the beauty of
handmade goodsthat provided bothfunction and art. John Ruskin, Morris, and othersadvocated
the socio-economic reforms forliving and workingin a more pleasant environment, integrating
labor and art and placing valueon hand labor and natural materials as well as designs inspired by
nature.They encouraged the development of small workshops and individual craftsmen, as well
as the usage and revival of handcrafted work and techniques such as embroidery, tapestry,
engraving,stained glass, andcalligraphy.
Morris & Co, a company created by William Morris, is world-renownedfor its hand-
woven tapestries and fabrics, wood furniture, printed textiles and wallpapers,embroideries as
well as stained glass which can be found in many churches in Britain.His designs featuring
intricateintertwining fruit, leaf and floral patterns are still popular today and do not look old-
fashioned.Inspired by nature, they becamethe classics that are still considered stylish.
The Arts and Crafts ideals and philosophies were adopted and adapted by other countries,
as the Arts and Crafts Movement further spread across America,Europe and Japan.In America,
it acquired its own form and expression, andits major figures were Frank Lloyd Wright,Gustav
Stickley, Charles and Henry Greene. Their unique and veryindividual responses to Arts and
Crafts ideals were making the goods more affordable by using factory methods to produce their
basic components (Stickley), considering the house a total workof art anddesigning furniture
specifically for each room(Greene &Greene), and believing thatthe space within the building is
the reality of that building(Frank Lloyd Wright).Gustav Stickley claimed that the living room
should be the heart of the home, while Frank Lloyd Wright established another rule that is still
used and considered essential today: each home must be built with two things in mind – the
specificsof its location and theneeds of its owners.
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