Arts & Crafts Movement and its Leading Craftsmen

In a Nutshell: History, Background, Objectives and its Impact

The Arts and Crafts Movement was a global pattern in the brightening and expressive arts that started in Britain and thrived in Europe and North America between 1880 and 1920, evolving in Japan during the 1920s as the Mingei development.

Figure 1. Japanese folk-art movement, Mingei

Disappointed with the generic, motorized heading of society in the nineteenth century, they tried to come back to a less difficult, but more satisfying, method for living. The development is appreciated for its utilization of great materials and its accentuation of utility in the plan.

The Backdrop

Due to the first and second industrial revolutions, some revolutionists pushed for lesser reliance on factory-made products which were made by machines, and instead supported buying products made by craftsmen. This led people to think of innovation and to create something different. Among the socialists (who didn’t belong to any party), Ruskin and William Morris started to effect instantaneous changes in the quality of their surroundings, starting the so-called Arts and Crafts Movement, whose aim was to make objects beautiful once again. The Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain during the late 19th century was characterized by a style of decoration reminiscent of medieval times. The primary artist connected with the movement was William Morris, whose work was reinforced with writings from John Ruskin. As the movement extended in influence, architecture, furniture making and the decorative arts, such as interior design, started to display the simplicity and craft approach. This movement supported economic and

social reforms as a way of attacking the industrialized age.

The Arts and Crafts movement appeared from the attempt to reform designs and decorations in the middle of the 19th century Britain. It was a reaction against a recognized decline in standards that the reformers connected with machinery and factory production. Their critique was refined by the module that they saw in the Great Exhibition of 1851 which they considered to be excessively ornate, artificial, and ignorant of the qualities of the materials used.

Figure 2 Great Exhibition of 1851

The Craftsmen: The Influential Figures

Many influencers contributed to the movement by adopting innovative art in products and refusing the use of factory manufactured products. A.W.N Pugin, was an English architect, designer, artist and critic who is mainly recalled for his pioneering work in the Gothic Revival style of architecture. John Ruskin became known as a brilliant critic of landscape painting and a great advocate of the works of painters. William Morris linked art to the industry by applying the values of fine art to mass production; the commercial design was a key stage in the modification of design as we know it now.

Figure 3. Gothic Revival Style of Architecture

Figure 4. River Seine and its Islands by John Ruskin

Figure 5. William Morris’ Chair

Figure 6. Snakeshead Printed Textile by William Morris

Figure 7. Design for Trellis wallpaper, 1862

The Far-Reaching Impacts

The Arts and Crafts Movement had far-reaching impacts, spanning many regions and areas of design. From the earlier days, the movement led to the organization of 1888 & 1890 exhibitions by the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society and continued to inspire several societies, like the Art Workers’ Guild to promote the incorporation of Fine Arts in Architecture. In urban centers of the UK, the progressive art colleges started encouraging the use of old, labor-intensive techniques, including enameling, embroidery, and calligraphy in the design of furniture and interiors. Arts and Crafts designers were then also able to sell their goods through shops in London via commercial distribution, helping the movement’s ideas reach a much wider audience. The movement also spread to the rest of Europe, North America, and Japan in later times, aiming to revive old techniques in the face of industrialization.

What Happened in the End?

As the Arts and Crafts Movement increased in influence, architecture, furniture manufacturing and the ornamental arts, such as interior design, began displaying the simplicity and craft approach. The Arts and Crafts movement had given birth to these art movements, such as Bauhaus and Modernism, movements who believed in the simplicity of design.

Figure 8. Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius

About the Author

Isra Khan is a student of Textile Design at Textile Institute of Pakistan (TIP). She writes blogs related to fashion and textile industry, as a hobby.