UNIT III

ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT

Introduction:

The Arts and Crafts Movement, which began in England around 1860 and continued

into the first decade of the 20th century, shared many of the ideas of art nouveau. The

movement’s earliest proponents reacted against cheap manufactured goods, which had

flooded shops and filled houses in the second half of the 19th century. The Arts and

Crafts ideal they offered was a spiritual, craft-based alternative, intended to alleviate

industrial production’s degrading effects on the souls of laborers and on the goods they

produced. It emphasized local traditions and materials, and was inspired by vernacular

design—that is, characteristic local building styles that generally were not created by

architects.

Arts and Crafts Movement was a response to the industrial revolution. It was a broad and

diverse movement, incorporating many idealistic themes. Perhaps we should start by

identifying the common beliefs.

Beliefs of Arts and Crafts movement :

that well-designed buildings, furniture, and household goods would improve

society

that the material environment affected the moral fibre of society

that the ideal was contented workers making beautiful objects

and that both design and working lives had been better in the past

Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe:

English designer William Morris, who led the Arts and Crafts movement, sought to

restore integrity to both architecture and the decorative arts. The Red House (1859) in

Kent, designed for Morris and his family by English architect Philip Webb, demonstrates

the architectural principles at the heart of the English movement. The unpretentious brick

façades were free of ornament, the ground plan was informal and asymmetrical, and the

materials were drawn from the area and assembled with local building techniques.

Spurred by the experience of furnishing his home, Morris set up a studio with several

associates, including Webb and English artists Dante Gabriel Rosetti and Edward Burne-

Jones. They designed everything—from wallpaper to stained glass, books, and teapots—

according to the highest standards of craftsmanship. The idea of the house as a total work

of art, with all of the interior objects designed by the architect, emerged from this studio

and remained standard practice throughout the Arts and Crafts movement.

RED House (1859)

Red House in Bexleyheath in the southern

suburbs of London, England is a key building in

the history of the Arts and Crafts movement

and of 19th century British architecture.

It was designed in 1859 by its owner,

William Morris, and the architect Philip

Webb, with wall paintings and stained

glass by Edward Burne-Jones.

Morris wanted a home for himself and his new wife, Jane.

He also desired to have a "Palace of Art" in which he and his friends could enjoy

producing works of art.

The house is of warm red brick with a steep tiled roof and an emphasis on

natural materials. It was the first domestic dwelling to have stained glass

windows.

The garden is also significant, being an early example of the idea of a garden as

a series of exterior "rooms".

Morris wanted the garden to be an integral part of the house, providing a

seamless experience.

The "rooms" were comprised of a herb garden, a vegetable garden, and two rooms

full of old-fashioned flowers — jasmine, lavender, roses, and an abundance of

fruit trees — apple, pear and quince.

Arts and crafts movement in America

In the United States, it should be noted, the term Arts and Crafts movement is often used

to denote the style of interior design that prevailed between the dominant eras of Art

Nouveau and Art Deco, or roughly the period from 1910 to 1925. During the 1870's,

American Anglophiles became acquainted with the Arts & Crafts Movement, first

introduced through interest in the Gothic Revival and the paintings and writings of the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

The Arts & Crafts Movement also shaped American architecture, especially with the

development of the Queen Anne Revival, and with emerging styles that were based on

the "old-fashioned homes" of the American Colonial period: the Shingle Style and the

Old Colony Style.

The first generation of Arts & Crafts artisans employed a diverse expression of styles,

which drew inspiration from England, but also from Japan and from the regional

traditional crafts and architecture of America.

Architects involved in the movement:

The "mission oak" style furniture embraced by Gustav Stickley,

The "Prairie School" of Frank Lloyd Wright,

The Country Day School movement, the bungalow style of houses popularized by

Greene and Greene

Mission, Prairie and the California Craftsman styles of home building remain

tremendously popular in the United States today.

Gustav Stickley:

Gustav Stickley (March 9, 1858–April 21, 1942) was a furniture maker and architect as

well as the leading spokesperson for the American Arts and Crafts movement.

In 1901, Stickley founded The Craftsman, a periodical which began by expounding the

philosophy of the English Arts & Crafts movement but which matured into the voice of

the American movement. He worked with architect Harvey Ellis to design house plans

for the magazine, which published 221 such plans over the next fifteen years. He also

established the Craftsman Home Builders Club in 1903 to spread his ideas about

domestic organic architecture.

These ideas had an enormous influence on Frank Lloyd Wright. Stickley believed that:

A house ought to be constructed in harmony with its landscape, with special

attention paid to selecting local materials;

An open floor plan would encourage family interaction and eliminate unnecessary

barriers;

Built-in bookcases and benches were practical and ensured that the house would

not be completely reliant on furniture from outside;

Exposed structural elements, light fixtures, and hardware are all considered to be

decorative; and

Artificial light should be kept to a minimum, so large groupings of windows were

necessary to bring in light.

The view of a house designed by gustav stickley

for his The Craftsman Publication of house plans

Frank Lloyd Wright :

Frank Lloyd Wright originated the Prairie Style (open plans, horizontality, natural

materials) which was part of the American Arts and Crafts movement (hand

craftsmanship, simplicity, function) an alternative to the then dominant Classical Revival

Style (Greek forms with occasional Roman influences). He was also heavily influenced

by the Idealistic Romantics. Wright’s approach to design was closely associated with that

of the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the architect designed not only the house but

also the interior detailing, furniture, lighting fixtures, and even doorknobs, hinges, and

other hardware.

Wrights Early Works:

Wright believed that the architectural form must ultimately be determined by the

particular function of the building, its environment, and the type of materials employed in

the structure.

Among his fundamental contributions was

The use of various building materials for their natural colors and textures, as

well as for their structural characteristics.

His exteriors incorporated low horizontal proportions and strongly projecting

eaves.

This concept was particularly evident in his early Prairie style, single-family

houses, among them the Martin House (1904) in Buffalo, New York; the

Coonley House (1908) in Riverside, Illinois; and the Robie House (1909) in

Chicago.

Robie   House (1909)

The Robie house is a residential prairie school

style masterpiece designed by architect Frank

Lloyd Wright and built in 1910. It is located

on the campus of the University of Chicago in

Hyde Park. The house is famous for its art

glass windows, which dapple the house with

color and light.

Mackintosh:

In Scotland, Mackintosh designed the Glasgow School of Art in two phases, which reveal

a dramatic shift from his early art nouveau phase to the Arts and Crafts aesthetic. The

building’s asymmetrical front (1897-1899) featured a range of styles and curving art

nouveau ironwork. The rear of the building (1906-1909) presented something quite

different: To light the artists’ studios within, Mackintosh opened

up the façade with tall windows set into an austere masonry grid.

Spare, simple, functional, and breathtakingly different, this

elevation predicted many of the qualities that came to be

associated with modern architecture after World War I (1914-

1918). Inside, the library, with its soaring interior space, dark

wood, and exquisitely crafted furniture and lighting fixtures,

revealed Mackintosh's fascination with Japanese architecture and design.

Elevation of Glasgow School of art

Art Nouveau

Art nouveau (French for "new art") is a style in art, architecture and design that peaked

in popularity at the beginning of the 20th century. Art Nouveau, which flourished in

Europe between 1890 and 1910, was one of the earliest (and shortest-lived) efforts to

develop an original style for the modern age.

Art nouveau artists and designers transformed modern industrial materials such as iron

and glass into graceful, curving forms often drawn from nature, though with playful

elements of fantasy. In contrast to both Perret and the architects of the Chicago School,

art nouveau designers were interested in architecture as a form of stylistic expression

rather than as a structural system.

The name "Art Nouveau" derived from the name of a shop in Paris, Maison de l'Art

Nouveau, at the time run by Samuel Bing, that showcased objects that followed this

approach to design.

Architects associated with Art noveau:

Antoni Guadí

Victor Horta of Brussels.

Hector Germain Guimard

Character of Art Nouveau

St. Louis World's Fair, (1904). Entrance to the

Creation exhibit.

1. Dynamic, undulating and flowing,

curved "whiplash" lines of syncopated

rhythm characterize much of Art

Nouveau.

2. Another feature is usage of hyperbolas

and parabolas.

3. Conventional moldings seem to spring to life and "grow" into plant-derived forms

4. Art Nouveau advocated the use of highly-stylized nature as the source of

inspiration and expanded the "natural" repertoire to embrace seaweed, grasses,

and insects.

5. Correspondingly organic forms, curved lines, especially floral or vegetal, and the

like, were used.

THE OUTSTANDING DESIGNERS OF ART NOUVEAU

ENGLAND - the graphic artists Aubrey Beardsley, A. H. Mackmurdo, Charles

Ricketts, Walter Crane.

SCOTLAND - architect Charles R. Mackintosh;

BELGIUM - the architects Henry Van de Velde and Victor Horta;

FRANCE - the architect and designer of the Paris metro entrances, Hector

Guimard, and the jewelry designer René Lalique;

AUSTRIA - the painter Gustav Klimt; in Spain the architect Antonio Gaudí;

GERMANY - the illustrator Otto Eckmann and the architect Peter Behrens;

ITALY - the originator of the ornamental Floreale style, Giuseppe Sommaruga;

UNITED STATES - Louis Sullivan, whose architecture was dressed with art

nouveau detail, and the designer of elegant glassware Louis C. Tiffany.

The aesthetics of the movement were disseminated through various illustrated

periodicals including:

The Century Guild Hobby Horse (1894),

The Dial (1889), The Studio (begun, 1893),

The Yellow Book (1894-95),

The Savoy (1896-98).

ANTONNIO GAUDI 1852 – 1926

Noted works :

• Casa Vicens

• Sagrada Familia

• Palau Guell

• Colegio Teresano

• Casa Calvet

• Colonia Guell

• Bellesguard

• Park Guell

• Casa Batllo

• Casa Mila

Gaudi was the creator of the city of Barcelona known around the world, known

as one of the world capitals- of Modernism.

He was an attentive observer of nature from childhood.

He was attracted to the varied forms of nature , colors and geometry.

He was a pioneer in his field using color, texture and movement in ways never

before imagined.

Medieval books, Gothic art, Oriental structures, the Art Nouveau movement,

and, of course, the glory of nature, strongly influenced his designs.

Instead of relying on geometric shapes, he mimicked the way trees and humans

grow and stand upright.

The hyperboloids and paraboloids he borrowed from nature were easily reinforced

by steel rods and allowed his designs to resemble elements from the environment.

He had unique proposals in geometry, conception of space, constructive

procedures with different use of materials, forms and colour.

Some people define him as a transgressor, but some defend his mysticism, while

a few claim that his buildings are difficult to clarify.

His whimsical vision and imaginative designs have brought a bit of magic to this

historic region.

Gaudi’s culmination of traditional elements with fanciful ornamentation and

brilliant technical solutions paved the way for future architects to step outside the

box.

Sagrada Familia

This great cathedral is inspired by gothic style and yet a landmark of

modern architecture.

This giant church, with it’s broken tile mosaics, and unique sculptural

design, is by far Gaudi’s most recognized work.

o Gaudí turned to nature for a rich variety of animal and plant forms

to decorate the towering façades of the Sagrada Família. He also

used natural forms structurally: columns shaped like bones,

undulating walls in brick, a roofline resembling the profile of an

armadillo. His wide use of ceramic tile, a local building material,

gave color and texture to his designs. The deeply personal nature

of his fanciful designs meant that no school developed to follow

him.

HECTOR GUIMARD 1864 - 1942

An example for typical elements of Art Nouveau:

Iron working and glass, molded in vegetal and organic shapes, is the Porte

dauphine in Paris (1900) which is very typical is also the "umbrella" that covers

the actual entrance.

This Metro entrance is very famous, frequently appears in movies and posters. It

is quite different from other entrances because it is covered by a roof.

M° Porte Dauphine, HectorGuimard – 1889

Candélabre Val d'Osne de 1920

VICTOR HORTA – 1861-1947

Victor Horta created buildings which rejected historical styles and marked the

beginning of modern architecture.

He conceived modern architecture as an abstract principle derived from

relations to the environment, rather than on the imitation of forms.

Although the organic forms of Art Nouveau architecture as established by

Horta do not meet our standard ideas of modern architecture, Horta generated

ideas which became predecessors to the ideas of many modernists.

Horta was a leading Belgium Art Nouveau architect until Art Nouveau lost

public favor. At this time he easily assumed the role of a neoclassical

designer.

The characterizations are: the use of industrial materials like steel and iron in

the visible parts of houses.

New decorations inspired by nature (e.g. the

famous whiplash motive, which occurs very

often in the Art Nouveau style and especially in the work of Horta), decorative

mosaics or graphical patterns on the facades of houses can be seen applied

in the Horta Museum itself.

Horta Museum Tassel House