|
|
Special Exhibitions | |
|
|
The Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America |
|
The Arts & Crafts Movement in Europe and America
>
About the Exhibition
>
About the Arts and Crafts Movement
|
|
About the Arts and Crafts Movement The Arts and Crafts movement began as a reaction to social and economic anxiety after nearly a century of intense industrial modernization. Great Britain, the most industrialized country at the turn of the century, became the initial hub of the Arts and Crafts movement. The Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society was founded in 1887 in London on the belief that a culture's applied art was as vital to that culture as its fine art. Individuality in a crafter's piece, along with innovation and creativity, molded the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society into a significant artistic movement that later grew into one of a philosophical, political, and cultural nature.Members of the society, including John Ruskin and William Morris, advocated the improvement of working conditions, the reintegration of art into everyday life, and the unification of all forms of art. The movement's principles were widely spread by the start of the twentieth century and had developed into a language of democratic phrases including “joy in labor,” “unity in design,” and “fidelity to place.” These potent sayings allowed the public to visualize the Arts and Crafts movement's many ideologies. All of the objects in the exhibition are explored through the three recurring themes of the time, Art and Industry, Design and National Identity, and Arts and Life. Art and Industry Though the Arts and Crafts movement regarded its pre-industrial past in the highest respect, it did not completely discard the present. The movement had a few conflicting ideals, including a belief that machines should be used as a way to rid workers of mindless tasks rather than for mass production, and the idea that objects should be useful to as well as affordable for the average person. Even though the movement struggled with these two opposing views, the process of making an object became most important. Design and the National Identity The Arts and Crafts movement believed that a country's character could be expressed through design and reinforced by that design. Designers, craftsmen and artists used this technique in their fields. This idea became a new form of patriotism, known today as Romantic Nationalism. Art and Life One of the most important and fundamental concepts of the Arts and Crafts movement was the idea of the complete integration of art and everyday life. This was done most thoroughly through utopian art colonies around the globe. Four of these art colonies have been included in this exhibition, including Darmstadt, Germany; C. R. Ashbee's Guild of the Handicraft in Britain; Gödöllõ, Hungary; and the Roycrofters of East Aurora, New York. These three themes envelop several issues still debated today, including individuality versus standardization of objects and the definition of a design that most benefits society. Page 1 of 4 | On the next page: Highlights of the Exhibition |