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| Brother Rabbit - William Morris - 1882 |
William Morris's response to the industrial revolution, with its mass produced household items, was so prolific that it became an art movement - coined The Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris and his peers feared an impoverishment of craft and perceived machine made goods as lacking in quality. He and his peers returned the careful hand of the craftsman to the production of household goods and decorative arts. Textiles and wallpapers were among these.
Incidentally, his wall papers were mass produced; but in limited editions. This concept, that an artist creates an item which can be mass produced eventually evolved into the discipline of Industrial Design. And, industrial design has filled our homes with stuff - stuff that was designed for us to desire; things like ipods and swifters. Industrial designers not only design the stuff, but they design desire for the stuff; often the marketing campaign is created before the item that is being marketed.
Wallpaper designed by William Morris has a distinct design aesthetic that is of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Natural figures such as small animals and flowers are flattened and represented with simpler geometries so that the silhouette is favored.
William Morris (1834–1896)
William Morris was an English writer and artist and leader of the Arts and Crafts Movement. He made several attempts at various colleges including at Oxford, but was not that excited about any particular discipline. He eventually was mentored by his friend Philip Webb on architecture. William Morris helped found Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co which was dedicated to producing decorative arts and decorations mostly intended for churches. In his later years he became a well known for his socialist political theories.
Wallpaper and Tapestry
William Morris in his own words:
"As in all wall-decoration, the first thing to be considered in the
designing of Tapestry is the force, purity, and elegance of the
silhouette of the objects represented, and nothing vague or
indeterminate is admissible. But special excellences can be expected
from it. Depth of tone, richness of colour, and exquisite gradation of
tints are easily to be obtained in Tapestry; and it also demands that
crispness and abundance of beautiful detail which was the especial
characteristic of fully developed Mediæval Art."
Photos:
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| Marigold, William Morris, 1875 |
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| Compton, John Henry Dearle, 1896 |
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| Length of Cotton, William Morris |
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