Arts and Crafts Movement

1850-1900

Introduction The Arts and Crafts movement began in

Victorian England, the cradle of the industrial revolution, the heart of mechanization,

and, at the time, the epitome of capitalist thinking.

Rebelling against the cheap, mass-produced object

populating the homes of the middle classes, the

originators of the Arts and Crafts movement stressed

anti-industrialism, the elevation of the individual

worker, the belief in rewarding labour and the handmade object, and the

ability of a beautiful and well designed environment

Introduction The movement was

both a philosophy and a style that

permeated domestic interiors,

including decorative arts and furniture, painting,

and textiles. Particularly in

Britain, the movement

critiqued the values of Victorian society and its increasingly rigid class structure and exploitation of

the labouring classes.

Inspirations

The socially progressive ambitions of the Arts and Crafts

movement were accompanied by a

new aesthetic focus that sought to

integrate art into daily life. In their rejection

of the current industrialist ethos,

theorists and designers looked to

the pre-industrial medieval past, the

natural world

Inspirations

Medivealism is the key

Spirit of Art and crafts

Left: Ceramic tiles by William De MorganAbove:: Silver bowl by Ashbee

Spirit of Art Nouveau

Up: Flemish tapestry Left: Oak wood chair byW.R

Lethaby

Morris & Co.

The Craft Guilds.

Charles Robert Ashbee

Beyond Britan