Art History

Art History

The Arts and Crafts Movement

05/11/15

The Arts and Crafts Movement began in the 1880's, and was fuelled by the need to bring back the creating process that the industrial revolution had began to eradicate. 

William Morris is the most renowned artist from this movement. 

William Morris: 1843 - 1896

William Morris was a British poet, novelist, translator, social activist and textile designer. He was influenced strongly be Medievalism.

His family was rather well off, however, he wasn't pleased about this because he didn't thought it had been learnt, and therefore wasn't deserved. He was the oldest of 8 children.

In his younger years, Morris' mother had sent him to a school that boasted about theology, which he called a 'boy farm'. It was here that all of the boys rebelled, so Morris' mother pulled him out.

Theology: The study of the nature of God and religious beliefs. 

After this, Morris then went to Oxford to study Theology and met Edward Bourne Jones. Morris blame a poet after spending a lot of time reading poetry out loud. He was often depicted as gruff and bullish, since he would hit ideas head on. 

Morris was highly influenced by Ruskin's tirade against 'industrialisation', who was an environmentalist.

Environmentalism: A broad philosophy idealogy and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health as the measure of health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements.

Both Morris and Bourne- Jones considered joining a monastery, but instead both decided to give up the church and work towards art, at which point, Morris decided to become an architect. Upon telling his mother, she broke into tears.
Morris developed a friendship with the Pre-Raphaelites, and became compelled by Rossetti. He began drawing, and would draw for 6 hours every day after work, which became too much for him. He gave up on the idea of becoming an architect, which brought more tears from his mother when she heard the news.
While at Oxford, Morris studied Medieval history. He revived the medieval art of tapestry making, and also made his own medieval furniture, which he decorated the apartment both him and Bourne-Jones shared, as he didn't want the apartment to be furnished with commercial furniture.

In 1857, Rossetti was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the Oxford Union Building. He had originally asked numerous different artists, all of whom declined, and so he asked Morris, and a few other of Morris's friends, most of which had never painted before. It was named 'The Jovial Campain' During painting it, it was said that Morris got a splinter in his eye and went into an extreme fit of rage, and couldn't remember it afterwards, but everyone else turned a blind eye to it. 

The painting depicted the scenes from the Athurian legends, based on Sir Thomas Malory's 'Le Morte D'Arthur. The painting was in the same style as the Pre-Raphaelite's other paintings- A romanticised version of medieval work. Sir Malory's work became their bible. 

While Morris was considered a Socialist, he was a champagne socialist

Socialism: A political and economic theory of social organisation which advocates that the means of production, distribution and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Champagne socialist: A person who espouses socialist ideals while enjoying a wealthy and luxurious lifestyle

Meeting Janie Burton:

Morris met Janie Burton at the theatre, She wasn't very well educated nor very well off, and when her and Morris got married the summer after they'd met in April on the 26th, it was thought that, because she admitted to not loving him, she was marrying higher into society. 

Janie Morris was a model for the Pre-Raphaelites, specifically Rossetti, who she later started an affair with. 

Morris designed a house with Philip Webb, a friend of his and someone who specialised in gothic architecture. The house was called Rehouse, and is where Morris and Janie lived, which today, is the Rehouse museum. 

The house was very simple, with most rooms painted white, which were commonly associated with servants quarters, not the lavish decoration usually found in a house of someone of his status. 

Morris became a celebrity after releasing a work that was very similar to the Canterbury Tales. 

Janie was considered a Pygmalion.

Pygmalion: A play about a bedraggled girl called Eliza Doolittle, who was passed off as a duchess.

In her last years, Janie practically became an invalid. Morris tried to have whatever illness she had cured. Her symptoms were very similar to that of Lizzie Siddals.

Her and Morris had two children; Jane Alice, who was born in 1861, who developed epilepsy, and who died in 1935; and Mary May, who was born in 1862 and who died in 1938.

Mary May became an embroider, artisan, jeweller, socialist and an editor. 

Morris refused to have his daughter, Jane Alice, institutionalised, and she eventually died of diabetic complications, as did Morris himself. 

While Rossetti was also having relations with Janie Morris, he was also with Lizzie Siddal, and when Lizzie died, he became addicted to chloral hydrate

Chloral Hydrate: a colourless crystalline solid made from chloral and used as a sedative.

Rossetti died when taken to Birchington-On-Sea to cure him of his addiction.

Janie found a new lover 2 years after Rossetti's death. Her new lover, Wilfred Scawen Blunt, never loved her, and only ever wanted to seduce someone who was close to Rossetti. Janie was still married to Morris at this point.

A writer called Karl Marx influenced Morris with his writings about socialism, and so he eventually created a party called the socialist league, which had its own newspaper. Upon the creation of his party, he abandoned all creative work, and eventually became a social outcast.

His funeral was abnormal for the times. His coffin was carried on a bright red and yellow cart, and was laid on a bed of leaves. He hated trains, but his coffin was brought to his desired burial location through these means. His tomb was within a graveyard of a quaint church, even though he was atheist, but he liked the aesthetics of the church. His gravestone was designed by Phillip Webb, and was extremely plain compared to his personality. His funeral was very reverse-status at the time.