British Arts and Crafts Movement Lecture Notes

Overview

• Period: Late 19th century
• Roots: Artistic and social activism of John Ruskin and William Morris
• Focus: Detrimental effects of industrialization on art and workers’ lives

Key Figures

John Ruskin

• Roles: Art critic, polymath, social visionary
• Achievements: First professor of art history at Oxford (1869)

William Morris

• Approach: Hands-on in applied arts (e.g., stained glass, tapestry weaving)
• Workshops: Morris & Co.
• Ideals: “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believed to be beautiful”

Significant Locations

Kelmscott House

• Location: Overlooks the River Thames, Hammersmith, London
• Importance: Morris’s home (1878-1896), now a museum

Lasting Influence of William Morris

• Broad Appeal: Influenced typographers, environmentalists, and socialists
• Legacy: Continues to inspire contemporary designers
• Core Idea: Beautiful home objects improve quality of life

Critique of Industrialization

• Division of labor and factory production lines
• Impact: Dividing the souls of workers

Social Movements

• John Ruskin: Guild of St. George (1871)
  • Promoted art education and craft work
  • Revived rural economies
• William Morris: Guild system at Burton Abbey workshops
• Shared Ideals: Movement became prominent in the early 1880s

Key Developments

The Century Guild (1882)

• Leader: Arthur H. Mackmurdo
• Publication: The Hobbyhorse magazine

The Art Workers Guild (1884)

• Aim: Bridge divisions between artists, architects, designers, and craftsmen
• Challenge: Opposed Royal Academy’s hierarchy of arts

Social Reform Projects

• Example: Toynbee Hall (1885)
  • Aim: Reduce poverty through art reform
  • Notable Member: C.R. Ashbee (Guild of Handicraft, 1888)

Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society (1888)

• Goal: Art as an agent of noble life
• Activities: Annual exhibitions
• Publications: Essays on standards of excellence in applied arts

Spread of the Movement

• Spread to Britain’s industrial cities
• Established guilds and schools (e.g., Central School of Arts and Crafts, Birmingham School of Art)

Design Principles

Truth to Materials

• Focus on natural beauty and minimal ornamentation
• Examples: Native woods for furniture, traditional woven rush seats

Return to Simplicity

• Objective: Counter Victorian excesses
• Principle: “Less is more”

International Influence

• Impact: Shaped artistic and social movements in America and Europe
• Comparison: Arts and Crafts vs. Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau

• Characteristics: Swirling lines, elongated motifs
• Notable Designers: Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Archibald Knox

Nature as Inspiration

• Botanical Influence: Decorations featured native trees and flowers
• Example: Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History (1860)

Misconceptions

• Not anti-mechanization: Morris used machines to reduce worker tedium, but opposed commercial tyranny

Morris’s Social and Political Activism

• Joined: Democratic Federation (1883)
• Activities: Lectured at rallies, supported workers’ strikes
• Highlight: Hammersmith Socialist Movement meetings

Conclusion

• Morris and Ruskin’s ideas significantly shaped the artistic and social landscape
• Their legacies continue to inspire contemporary designers, emphasizing the importance of beauty, function, and social conscience in art