William Morris and the Tulip Chintz

The arts and crafts movement was not seen as the popular movement, but to William Morris this was the only way that design should be approached. William Morris (1834 – 1896) was an artist, designer, printer, typographer, bookbinder, craftsman, poet, writer and champion of socialist ideals. He was first and foremost a designer through the design of his textiles.

            One of his more famous designs is called the “Tulip Chintz”. William Morris preferred to study the motifs from nature and all of his designs were hand crafted. He adapted this tendency from the Gothic era where the artists and craftsmen worked together in order to glorify the architecture and art pieces. During this time, pieces were large, and ordinate. William Morris wanted to provoke that same emotion through the textiles and pieces he designed. The way he worked can be similar to that of Claude Monet who derived his inspiration from nature. He took what he saw and interpreted it through his own terms and applied this to his pieces. In doing so, emotion is also displayed, evoking a feeling onto the user.

           

Like most designers today, William Morris studied nature and previous artworks created. He wanted to take the creations of nature from being strictly outdoors to becoming appreciated from inside of homes as well. William and his family had a garden at his house which could not be appreciated during the winter season or at night. By imprinting the same images onto a textile, this idea could be cherished all year round, at any time of day.

            The industrial revolution resisted this movement which made it hard for the designers at this time to flourish. Designers at this time, including William Morris, “feared that industrialization was destroying the environment in which traditional skills and crafts could prosper, as machine production had taken the pride, skill and design out of the quality of goods being manufactured.” Pieces that were created were more expensive than the massed produced ones, but they were made with more luxurious materials forcing them to be worth more.

            Through the resistance of William Morris and many other designers like him during this era, the creation of the Bauhaus School of Arts was created. This was the start of all modern design and the emergence of key architects and designers. 
Designers influences are stronger than what they appear to be. For instance, if William Morris and other designers like him did not take a stand against the industrial movement, it would have influenced design, buildings, artwork, and lifestyle. Products would have been produced faster; taking away from its aesthetic. It would be possible that simple designs would be developed earlier in the 1900s. New problems with production would arise but with the technology available at the time, would the society be able to resolve them? Or would it push the solutions and new technologies along further and faster? As humans, we all learn through our mistakes so the sooner we make them, the sooner we can figure out new solutions. 

Sources:

William Morris

William Morris - Arts and Crafts Movement

'The Firm'