Arts & Crafts Morris & Art Nouveau

William Morris was a British architect, designer, craftsman, translator, poet, novelist and socialist activist. We dedicate this chapter to one man who excelled in many different aspects throughout his life, and we will tell you why we love his work.

William Morris came from a wealthy middle-class family in Britain. Morris was aware of this, but he never felt completely comfortable in his environment. He was an avid critic of the industrial system, not because of its improvements, but the form men were administrating it, particularly their employees.

Due to this, he saw himself as influenced by socialist ideals, and he considered them a fundamental part of his life. Therefore, he took a protagonist role in the fight for workers’ rights. He firmly believed that companies should be owned by their workers instead of one person profiting from their employees and not paying fairly for their work.

A style of decorative art, architecture, and design prominent in western Europe and the USA characterized by intricate linear designs & flowing curves based on natural forms.

William Morris was no ordinary man and the leader of the British Arts and Crafts movement, a strong movement against industrialisation in the second part of the 19th century. The Arts and Crafts current of thought was related to arts in general, but most importantly, to fine and decorative ones. This thought philosophy covered what artists wanted to use as their way of expression. This movement was a direct response to industrialisation for its mass production system and the flaws that the system had when replacing handwork by machines.

A celebration of nature and organic forms coupled to make the everyday and mundane more beautiful & accessible for all. These are all factors Morris had in creating a profound impact on the advent of Art Nouveau, and his ideologies were highly influential on the movement throughout Europe.

From the outset, artists working in the Art Nouveau style advocated the unity of all the arts and argued against discrimination between fine art (painting and sculpture) and the so-called lesser decorative arts. Art Nouveau artists sought to integrate art with everyday life, producing beautiful objects to elevate people’s lives.

As with the Arts and Crafts movement, it was held in the Art Nouveau period that aesthetic values should be combined with high standards of craftsmanship and that works of art should be both beautiful and functional.

The boundaries between fine art and the applied arts became blurred in furniture design, silverware and architecture, paintings, graphic art, jewellery, fashion and glassware.