The Arts and Crafts and the Aesthetic Movement

“...I do not want art for a few; any more than education for a few;

  or freedom for a few...”- William Morris

In 1861 the Arts and Crafts Movement was against the poor quality of design during the Industrial Revolution which began in the Victorian period in Great Britain. The followers of the arts and crafts movement feared that the growth of the industry was destroying the traditional skills and crafts, and also removing the pride that the craftsmen could find in their work. To encourage the high standards of designs and provide a supportive working environment, the followers of the arts and crafts movement formed crafts guilds which were based on the medieval guilds.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa  original print by Hokusai

In Britain and America, the arts and crafts movement agreed to import the Japanese objects so in 1854 after two centuries of isolation, Commodore Matthew Perry forced the Japanese to start exporting once again in the international trade. As a result, western countries were being overloaded with Japanese objects and prints.

The Arts and Crafts Movement was mainly influenced by William Morris (a designer, typographer, printer and publisher) as he wanted to improve the tastes of the Victorian public. Morris‘s printing company published 53 books of outstanding quality and refinement. He encouraged the book and type designers to work with private presses which were more receptive to experiment.

William Morris 

William Morris was born in Walthamstow, Essex, on March 24^th, 1834.Morris’s passions were nature and reading. He enjoyed reading novels of Walter Scott which lead him to increase his fondness towards the Middle Ages. He attended at Marlborough and Exeter College, Oxford where he met Edward Burne-Jones. Morris wanted to study for priesthood but then he changed his mind and studied architecture. As a matter of fact, he became the most important designer of the early Art and Crafts movement and also the leader of socialism in Britain. Morris’s company produced book designs, textiles, furniture, and wall coverings. He preferred patterns derived from fauna and flora. In the early 1890s, Morris opened a company where he published books in high quality. He designed typefaces, title pages and ornamental border where he was inspired by the style of the medieval manuscripts while the illustrations were created by Edward Burne-Jones. Morris looked to the past for inspiration but his aims anticipated ideas on typography and layout.

William Morris

Gift of Mitchell Kennerley, 1924

References

Artyfactory.com, (2014).William Morris - The Arts and Crafts Movement. [online] Available at: http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris.html [Accessed 16 Oct. 2014].

Guity-novin.blogspot.com, (2014).A History of Graphic Design: Chapter 25 - Pioneers of the Art Nouveau, Chromolithography and the emergence of the modern poster and cigar box labels. [online] Available at: http://guity-novin.blogspot.com/2010/05/history-of-graphic-design-birth-of-art.html [Accessed 16 Oct. 2014].

Artic.edu, (2014).Japanism and the Arts and Crafts Movement | The Art Institute of Chicago. [online] Available at: http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/ApostlesBeauty/japanism [Accessed 18 Oct. 2014].