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Who was William Morris and what did he do?
Arts and Crafts Movement founder William Morris was known for his intricate floral textile art, revolutionary ideas about design, and more.
What is the best book about William Morris?
William Morris: His Art, His Writings and His Public Life. London: George Bell and Sons. Waggoner, Diane; Kirkham, Pat (2003). The Beauty of Life: William Morris and the Art of Design. Thames and Hudson.
How did William Morris influence the Arts and Crafts movement?
Through research and travel to historical sites, William Morris found that medieval craftsmanship better embodied the aims of the Arts and Crafts Movement. William Morris’s first interior design firm—Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company—changed the landscape of domestic decorating in Victorian-era Britain and beyond.
What inspired William Morris to design wallpaper?
By the mid-1860s, William Morris concentrated on designing wallpaper. His patterns were inspired by the natural world, and these are some his best-known works of art. In 1875 William Morris started a new company, Morris and Co. William Morris wrote many poems during his lifetime. Most of his best work is heavily influenced by the Icelandic sagas.
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What is William Morris famous for?
Morris was most recognised in his lifetime for his contribution to Victorian poetry and is the author of many poetical works, the most famous of which are The Earthly Paradise and The Defence of Guinevere. He also wrote novels, and made an ambitious translation of the Icelandic Sagas.
What is William Morris most famous piece of work?
Woodpecker Tapestry Most of Morris's best-known tapestry designs were created in collaboration with artists, such as Philip Webb and Edward Burne-Jones. The classic design for Woodpecker Tapestry, however, is the product of his imagination and technical skill alone.
What type of art did William Morris do?
Arts and Crafts movementPre‑Rapha... BrotherhoodWilliam Morris/Periods
Why was William Morris so influential?
William Morris (1834-1896), arguably the greatest designer-craftsman that England has ever produced, remains a perennially topical influence – not only in the field of arts and crafts but also as a pioneer of conservation and a visionary social thinker.
Who printed seaweed wallpaper?
John Henry DearleSeaweed Wallpaper Design, printed by John Henry Dearle.
What did William Morris invent?
William MorrisOccupationTextile Designer Poet Translator Socialist ActivistKnown forWallpaper and Textile Design Fantasy Fiction Medievalism SocialismNotable workNews from Nowhere, The Well at the World's EndSpouse(s)Jane Burden ( m. 1859)6 more rows
What kind of designs did Morris create?
It was in the 1870s that Morris really mastered designing for wallpaper, a period during which he created many of his most enduring designs, such as 'Larkspur' (1872), 'Jasmine' (1872), 'Willow' (1874), 'Marigold' (1875), 'Wreath' and 'Chrysanthemum' (both 1876–87).
How did William Morris influence the Arts and Crafts movement?
Morris believed passionately in the importance of creating beautiful, well-made objects that could be used in everyday life, and that were produced in a way that allowed their makers to remain connected both with their product and with other people.
When was the Morris chair made?
1866A Morris chair is an early type of reclining chair. The design was adapted by William Morris's firm, Morris & Company, from a prototype owned by Ephraim Colman in rural Sussex, England. It was first marketed around 1866.
Is William Morris Art Nouveau or art Deco?
WILLIAM MORRIS was the founder of the Art Nouveau Arts and Crafts Movement in England.
How did William Morris do block printing?
To create the blocks, Morris would create a clear line drawing with black ink from the original design to show one complete unit of the repeat. The design was then sent out to specialist block-cutters to translate into wood, usually using a pear or fruit wood which are soft to cut.
Who is William Morris of Arts and Crafts movement?
One of the most influential figures during this time was William Morris, who actively promoted the joy of craftsmanship and the beauty of the nature. Having produced over 50 wallpaper designs throughout his career, Morris became an internationally renowned designer and manufacturer.
Where was Morris born?
Morris was born in an Essex village on the southern edge of Epping Forest, a member of a large and well-to-do family. From his preparatory school, he went at age 13 to Marlborough College. A schoolfellow described him at this time as “a thick-set, strong-looking boy, with a high colour and black curly hair, good-natured and kind, but with a fearful temper.” Morris later said that at Marlborough he learned “next to nothing…for indeed next to nothing was taught.” As in later life, he learned only what he wanted to learn.
Who was Morris' model?
His model was Jane Burden, the beautiful, enigmatic daughter of an Oxford groom. He married her in 1859, but the marriage was to prove a source of unhappiness to both. Morris appears at this time, in the memoirs of the painter Val Prinsep, as “a short square man with spectacles and a vast mop of dark hair.”.
What did Morris learn at Marlborough?
Morris later said that at Marlborough he learned “next to nothing…for indeed next to nothing was taught.”. As in later life, he learned only what he wanted to learn. Britannica Quiz. The Victorian England Quiz: Art, Literature, and Life.
How many children did Morris have?
Two daughters, Jenny and May, were born in 1861 and 1862, and altogether the five years spent at Red House were the happiest of Morris’s life. After a serious attack of rheumatic fever, brought on by overwork, he moved in 1865 to Bloomsbury in London.
Where did Morris go to college?
In 1853 Morris went to Exeter College at the University of Oxford, where he met Edward Jones (later the painter and designer Burne-Jones ), who was to become his lifelong friend. Both Morris and Jones became deeply affected by the Oxford movement within the Church of England, and it was assumed that they would become clergymen.
Who decorated the English room in the mid-19th century?
A mid-19th-century Arts and Crafts movement English room decorated by William Morris with furniture by Philip Webb.
Who is William Morris?
William Morris is often seen as the grandfather of the international Arts and Crafts Movement. In an era of increasing industrialism and urbanization, he embraced an idealized vision of the artisanship and cottage industries of the Middle Ages. For Morris, art was nothing if it was not a product of craftsmanship: a collaborative, spiritually imbued activity by which human beings grew together in kinship, and in connection to their natural environment. Inspired partly by the art historian John Ruskin, Morris's Arts and Crafts aesthetic directly or indirectly influenced a huge swath of artistic and literary movements over the coming decades, from Art Nouveau to the artists' books of the Futurists and Dadaists.
What did William Morris do in the nineteenth century?
Training first as a priest and then as an architect before abandoning both to realize his visions of medieval arcadia in the company of the Pre-Raphaelites, ...
What is the only easel painting by Morris to reach this level of near completion?
La Belle Iseult (1858) Although this painting has been listed since its creation as 'unfinished', it is the only easel painting by Morris to reach this level of near-completion, and a quintessential work of Pre-Raphaelite-era portraiture.
What was Morris's main goal at the end of his life?
Towards the end of his life, Morris focused with increasing singularity on the radical political ambitions which had always underpinned his practice, publishing utopian socialist fantasy literature, and consolidating his lifelong work as a poet.
What was Morris' art?
For Morris, art was nothing if it was not a product of craftsmanship: a collaborative, spiritually imbued activity by which human beings grew together in kinship, and in connection to their natural environment.
Where was William Morris born?
William Morris was born in 1834 in Walthamstow, Essex, the third of nine children. William's father, after whom he was named, was a self-made business man, who was able to provide an upper-middle-class lifestyle for his family because of a shrewd investment in a Devonshire mine. Although William Morris Senior died when his son was just thirteen, ...
Who was the first artist to combine word and image in the expression of his vision?
William Morris was the first artist of the modern era to combine word and image in the expression of his vision.
Who is William Morris?
Who was William Morris? Born in Walthamstow in March 1834, William Morris founded the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain and designed some of the most recognisable textile patterns of the nineteenth century.
What did Morris do?
Initially apprenticed to an architect, Morris soon found his true vocation in designing furniture and patterns for textiles.
What is Morris and Faulkner?
Morris & Co. Morris, Marshall , Faulkner & Co., known to its partners as ‘The Firm’, was a decorative arts company established by Morris and his close acquaintances in 1861. The company aimed to improve the state of the decorative arts, using the ideas of John Ruskin to reform attitudes to production. It was this enterprise that helped establish ...
What is the most famous poem of Morris?
Morris was most recognised in his lifetime for his contribution to Victorian poetry and is the author of many poetical works, the most famous of which are The Earthly Paradise and The Defence of Guinevere. He also wrote novels, and made an ambitious translation of the Icelandic Sagas.
When did Morris die?
Morris died on 3 rd October 1896 at the age of 62, leaving behind some of the most iconic pieces of decorative art of the nineteenth century.
Where did Morris go to college?
At the age of 18, Morris enrolled as a student at the University of Oxford in preparation to join the clergy. It was here that he met his life-long friend and creative partner, Edward Burne-Jones.
Who created the Kelmscott Press?
His interest in the printing of books led him, in later life, to establish the Kelmscott Press. It was under the press that Morris and Burne-Jones worked together to create their renowned edition of the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, which has been described as the most beautiful printed book in existence.
What is William Morris famous for?
William Morris was a Victorian-era tastemaker who is often remembered by his most famous quote: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” (Morris, 1880) Over the course of his storied career, Morris designed hundreds of intricate wallpaper patterns and textile art in his signature handcrafted style, wrote poetry and novels, and made waves as a political activist. Here are seven fascinating facts—paired with seven iconic William Morris designs—that demonstrate the artist’s lasting legacy from the advent of the nineteenth-century Arts and Crafts Movement in Great Britain to modern-day interior design around the world.
What movement did William Morris create?
The philosophies and aesthetics of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement quickly gained popularity throughout Europe and in the United States through the start of the twentieth century. While the rise of Modernism ultimately surpassed the Arts and Crafts Movement in mainstream popularity, interior designers still recognize its vital influence today.
What was William Morris's political philosophy?
William Morris’s philosophies about art and his political beliefs were thoroughly intertwined. He was staunchly opposed to the ugliness of modern visual culture and the ugliness of social injustice. As a socialist activist, Morris believed that the Industrial Revolution, and the resulting rise of capitalism and wage labor, was robbing workers of their creativity, access to art, and quality of life. He was inspired by the advent of Marxism and once declared, “I do not want art for a few any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few.” (Morris, 1882)
What was William Morris' first interior design firm?
William Morris’s first interior design firm—Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company —changed the landscape of domestic decorating in Victorian-era Britain and beyond. He joined forces with members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and other craftspeople who shared his passion for traditional techniques and handmade décor inspired by nature and medieval aesthetics. Together, they created their own workshop, where they used old-fashioned processes and natural materials to produce beautiful household goods by hand, including furniture, textile art, wallpaper, and Gothic Revival stained glass.
How did William Morris help the socialists?
However, William Morris’s public political activism actually helped increase the acceptance of socialist ideology in Great Britain and remains a key part of his legacy.
Why did Morris become involved in both the intellectual design and physical manufacturing processes?
Morris became involved in both the intellectual design and physical manufacturing processes because he believed that the separation of these processes had contributed to a decline in standards.
Where did William Morris go to school?
He enjoyed a carefree childhood in the English countryside and a prestigious private education. As a young adult, Morris entered Exeter College at Oxford to study theology. Soon he was swayed by the writings of art critic John Ruskin, who argued that artists should observe nature rather than copying the Old Masters, as was standard practice for fine artists in academic training. Morris was also enchanted by the medieval history and charm that Oxford had to offer, and increasingly disenchanted by the Church of England, ultimately deciding to pursue a life of art instead of religion.
Who was the artist that Morris worked with?
Morris left Street's office after only eight months, to begin a career as an artist. Burne-Jones's connection with the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti – a central figure in the Pre-Raphaelite group – soon led to Morris working with Rossetti as part of a team painting murals at the Oxford Union.
What was Morris's main goal?
A key figure in the Arts & Crafts Movement, Morris championed a principle of handmade production that didn't chime with the Victorian era's focus on industrial 'progress.'. Morris was born in Walthamstow, east London, in 1834. The financial success of his broker father gave Morris a privileged childhood in Woodford Hall (a country house in Essex), ...
What was the name of the house that Morris and Jane built?
Huge murals and hand-embroidered fabrics decorated the walls, creating the feel of a historic manor house. Prompted by the success of their efforts (and the experience of 'joy in collective labor'), Morris and his friends decided in 1861 to set up their own interiors company: Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. Everything was to be created by hand, a principle that set the company firmly against the mainstream focus on industrialized 'progress.'
What did Morris and Company do in 1875?
In 1875 Morris became the sole director of the renamed and restructured Morris & Company. Over the next decade, he continued to design at an impressive rate, adding at least 32 printed fabrics, 23 woven fabrics, and 21 wallpapers – as well as more designs for carpets and rugs, embroidery, and tapestry – to the company's range of goods. All of these were sold in the shop that Morris opened on Oxford Street in 1877, in a fashionable space that offered a new kind of 'all under one roof' retail experience. By 1881 Morris had built up enough capital to acquire Merton Abbey Mills, a textile factory in south London. This allowed him to bring all the company's workshops together in one place, and to have closer control overproduction.
How many books did Morris print?
The books the Press produced – eventually, a total of 66 – were printed and bound in a medieval style, with Morris designing their typefaces, initial letters, and borders. The most famous of these is an illustrated edition of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, which was published in 1896, a few months before Morris's death.
How old was Morris when he went to London?
He also had precociously strong opinions on design. On a family trip to London in 1851, Morris (aged 16 ) demonstrated his loyalty to craft principles by refusing to enter the Great Exhibition – which championed Machine Age design – on the grounds of taste.
Where did Morris live?
Although retaining a main home in London, from 1871 Morris rented the rural retreat of Kelmscott Manor, Oxfordshire. Greatly influenced by visits to Iceland, with Eiríkr Magnússon he produced a series of English-language translations of Icelandic Sagas.
What was William Morris famous for?
William Morris was the celebrated figure of nineteenth century in the world of decorative art and textile designing. He made a remarkable contribution to the revival of traditional textile arts and was actively involved in the English Arts and Crafts Movement. He was also famous for his literary input as an English novelist, poet and a translator.
Where did William Morris live?
On March 24th, 1834, in Walthamstow , Essex, William Morris was born into a wealthy bourgeois English family and was named after his father. He spent most of his childhood housebound which resulted in his developing an avid reading habit. When he was six years old, his family moved to a Georgian mansion in Woodford, where he spent time largely sightseeing the country and admiring the architect of numerous cathedrals and churches. As he turned nine, he was enrolled at a preparatory school and then to a boarding school. After his father’s sudden demise in 1847, he went on to study at Marlborough College in Wiltshire, and disliked the experience. In Wiltshire, prehistoric sites captured his interest as he visited them frequently, such as, Silbury Hill and Avebury. Moreover, the Anglican faith of the school rendered him an enthusiast of Anglo-Catholic movement and Romanticist aestheticism.
What style of furniture did Morris design?
Morris designed furniture in Medieval style and painted in Arthurian style. In Kent, he designed Red House with Phillip Webb, inspired by multifarious forms of contemporary Neo-Gothic architecture, where he moved in with his wife. The house defied the conventional style and architectural norms as it was structured L-shaped.
What college did Morris go to?
Subsequent to his removal from the school, Morris entered Oxford University’s Exeter College. Morris took an instant dislike to the college for their tedious method of teaching Classics. However, the Medieval buildings in Oxford proved to be inspirational in his development of attraction toward the Medieval history and architecture.
What is John Ball known for?
Additionally, he is recognized for his epic poems and fantasy romance, including The Well at the World’s End, The Earthly Paradise, A Dream of John Ball and News from Nowhere. The foremost cultural figure of Victorian age passed away in 1896, at the age of 62.
Who inspired Morris to write?
Furthermore, he was highly inspired by the writings of, John Ruskin, the art critic.
Who was the foremost Pre-Raphaelite painter?
With his relocation to London he made an association with, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the foremost Pre-Raphaelite painter. Rossetti persuaded him and his friend Brune-Jones, to embark on their professional career with Pre-Raphaelite painting. Morris designed furniture in Medieval style and painted in Arthurian style.
Who was William Morris?
However, William Morris was a major figure of Victorian society. He was a pioneer in the Arts and Crafts Movement, a celebrated innovator in the British textile industry, and an important political activist in the early days of the British Socialist League. So how did Morris become such a noteworthy figure?
What did Morris want to do?
Combined with his hatred of modern industrialisation, Morris sought to return to a medieval system that supported craft through artisan guilds, thereby raising the status of the artist or manufacturer. His vision was a world away from Victorian Britain, where the status of the individual maker had been relegated to just another cog in a machine.
What was Morris' style?
The medieval style of Morris’s work was incredibly successful and became considered quintessentially English. His principled approach to craftsmanship and labour became a model for a number of craft guilds and art societies. In 1875, Morris & Company was founded as Morris took control of the company.
What was William Morris' childhood home?
Water House, Morris’ childhood home. It was renovated in 2012 to house The William Morris Gallery. Image source: ProfDEH / CC BY-SA 3.0. From his youth, Morris had a strong moral compass and social awareness. He was disgusted by the industrialism of the Victorian age, believing society based on mass production created alienation and division.
What did Morris believe about industrialization?
Industrialisation, he believed, would eventually be the ruin of art and culture, and by this logic, it would lead to a destruction of civilisation. Morris believed nature was not to be conquered, but respected. The beauty of objects did not lie only in the visual aesthetic, but also in the skill of the craftsman.
What did Morris enjoy most about Oxford?
They enjoyed reading medieval history, chronicles, and poetry, which celebrated themes of romantic chivalry and self-sacrifice. Perhaps inspired by the beauty of Oxford’s honey-coloured architecture and the late night discussions with this new group of friends, Morris developed a lifelong love of medieval history and art.
Where was William Morris born?
An idyllic childhood. Morris was born in Walthamstow, London, in 1834. His father earnt huge sums of money as a broker, blessing his son with an inheritance so large he was never troubled about earning an income. From 1848 to 1856, in his teenage years, Morris lived in Water House (now the William Morris Gallery), ...
What is William Morris famous for?
William Morris Facts. William Morris was an English artist, poet and politician. He was incredibly creative and he produced decorative art in a range of different forms, including: textiles, furniture, wallpaper, stained glass windows, book design and tapestry. Below are some facts about William Morris.
How many men did William Morris work?
When William Morris died in 1896, his doctor said that Morris had carried out the work of ten men during his lifetime.
What was William Morris' political party?
In 1883 Morris joined a political party called the Social Democratic Federation. He also helped to start a new party called the Socialist League. When William Morris died in 1896, his doctor said that Morris had carried out the work of ten men during his lifetime. A famous William Morris quote is:
What is William Morris's education?
William Morris lived and worked during the Victorian era. He was born in 1834 and he died in 1896. He earned a degree from Exeter College, Oxford.
When did William Morris start Morris and Co?
In 1875 William Morris started a new company, Morris and Co.
