The 19th-century artist and poet William Morris lived in the countryside of Oxfordshire, England. One leisurely morning, he happened to see birds jumping up the branches and secretly picking strawberries from his yard. He was immediately moved by this vivid and lovely picture, and was determined to keep this scene for a long time. So, he painted these "strawberry thieves" in detail, and there are axial symmetrical lively birds, delicate and flexible summer vines, brilliant blooming stamens, and bright strawberries. Later, Morris carved his own designs onto the printing plate, using indigo plant dyes, as well as cochineal and wood grass yellow to print a beautiful textile with intricate and delicate patterns but natural interest. The "Strawberry Thief" eventually became one of Morris's most famous and commercially successful textile designs, and is in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in England.
And now, this piece of beautifully crafted "strawberry thief" textile fabric, together with the printing plates of that year, as well as a number of works by the masters of arts and crafts of the same period, "airborne" in Yangcheng during this summer vacation. In the special exhibition jointly launched by the Guangdong Provincial Museum, the China Cultural Heritage Exchange Center and the Victoria and Albert Museum in the United Kingdom, you will meet with the citizens and friends of Guangzhou.
On June 18th, "Fingers Brought to Life: The British Arts and Crafts Movement under the Leadership of William Morris" officially opened, and the exhibition will continue until October 30. This exhibition reviews this colorful and creative period in the history of British design by displaying more than 100 design masterpieces such as pattern design, textiles, books, jewelry, furniture, household items and other design masterpieces from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in the United Kingdom, including William Morris, Charles Worther, Charles Robert Ashby, William De Morgan, and various arts and crafts guilds. Lead us to feel the power of craftsmanship to chase beauty.
Eliza Simmens' ceramic vase for Dalton & Company. Photo by reporter Liang Xin
Create aesthetics that serve everyone
In the mid-19th century, the roar of machines shattered the silence of the past, and after the first industrial revolution, the manufacture of household goods in Britain became increasingly industrialized. At the world's first international industrial exposition held in 1851 at the Crystal Palace in London's Hyde Park, the industrial products on display were criticized by professionals, including designers, artists, and educators, for their crudeness, excessive pretentiousness, and lack of practicality.
Among the voices of criticism is the voice of art theorist and educator John Ruskin, the theoretical director of the British Arts and Crafts movement. He put forward a series of forward-looking basic theories of modern design, emphasizing the practicality and social function of design, and advocating learning from nature. However, although there is a big gap between these cookie-cutter industrial products and traditional handicraft products in terms of beauty and design, the exquisite handicrafts at that time were still mostly used by the powerful, and the production speed and cost were weaker than those of industrial products in the market. Later, inspired by Ruskin's theories, William Morris launched a movement to improve design in the second half of the 19th century, the British Arts and Crafts Movement. This design reform movement hopes to change the opposition between design and technology by bringing together a group of artists, designers and manufacturers, and can revive the tradition of medieval craftsmanship and restore the dignity of craftsmen. As a result, the British design industry has ushered in a huge change.
In 1861, together with painters Ford Maddox Brown, Edward Byrne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, engineer and amateur artists Peter Paul Marshall and Charles Faulkner, Morris Marshall Faulkner & Co., specializing in the design and production of handmade metalwork, jewelry, wallpaper, textiles, furniture and books. Later, the company grew in the '60s and '70s, and in 1875 Morris bought the partners' shares, reorganizing the company into Morris & Co.
Morris emphasises the use of manual rather than machine production, creating very high-quality products. He hoped that by stimulating the development of cottage industries, he would eventually provide more aesthetic education and employment opportunities for the society at that time, so that the workers' work would bring happiness and embody the "aesthetics of life that serves everyone". The success of Morris's design and company inspired many to organize and create Guilds of Arts and Crafts (Guilds) to promote the "Arts and Crafts" style.
In 1888, the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society was established in London, and a series of exhibitions were held in the United Kingdom, providing the public with opportunities to learn about good design, and also greatly promoting the development of the "Arts and Crafts" trend. This association also plans to hold foreign design exhibitions and organize British design works to be exhibited abroad, which has played an important role in the exchange and promotion of British design. Until Morris's death in 1896, designer William Arthur Benson took over the work of Morris & Co. and continued to promote the "Arts and Crafts" trend.
Elton earthenware vase. Photo by reporter Liang Xin
Take nature as the guide and practicality as the root
Nature was the trigger for many arts and crafts practitioners, both in the countryside and in the city, and nature and the seasons were revered by the people of the time as beings with extraordinary powers. However, under the trend of "arts and crafts", the best choice in the minds of these craft designers is by no means to copy or accurately copy a flower and grass from nature, they will make certain adjustments to adapt the pattern to the style and function of different products, reflecting the characteristics of their own products.
Walking into the first exhibition hall, the first thing that caught the reporter's eye were two plant design drawings. They are the first large-scale patterned wallpaper design in dark color designed by William Morris, a design manuscript and a printed sample of the "Ranunculus". Interestingly, however, unlike most of the home textiles of the era that imitated nature, Morris designed this "ranunculus" leaf-shaped decorative pattern not realistically, but through imagination and careful conception. He wants his designs to come from a close observation of nature, rather than a rigid imitation. This subtle "learning and imitation" embodies one of the biggest characteristics of the "Arts and Crafts" trend period - the mutual achievement relationship between design and manufacturing. The owl tapestry, the wardrobe with two tall plants on the countertop, the vase designed and manufactured by the Martin brothers, and the Elton pottery vase are all well exemplified by the design style pursued by the craftsmen of this period, which is "combined with natural forms without being rigid".
Later, arts and crafts practitioners reworked and played on many of the motifs in William Morris's work, creating a variety of personal styles. In addition to natural subjects, European medieval and Renaissance poetry, literature, architecture, and art provided a wealth of inspiration for Morris and later designers. For example, at the exhibition site, the reporter saw a beautifully made jewelry box. This jewellery box was designed by the President of the Newcastle Guild and made by his members. The enamel plaque depicts scenes from the epic poem "The Faerie Queen" written by the English poet Edmund Spencer for Elizabeth I, published in 1950. The poem uses knights to represent different virtues, and the designer used this theme as a gift to the Princess of Wales.
Design of the "Ranunculus" wallpaper designed by Morris. Photo by reporter Liang Xin
British arts and crafts designers follow a long European tradition of studying and appreciating craftsmanship and design from countries outside of Europe. Morris himself was a fan of culture and art from around the world, including Spain, Turkey, India, and Persia (present-day Iran). He was particularly attracted to the Middle East and Spanish craftsmanship and inspired Morris and his partners to revive the production of hand-woven carpets and iridescent ceramics, respectively. Southeast Asian craftsmanship provides another source of inspiration for potters who try to mimic the shapes and glazes of Chinese and Japanese ceramics. For this exhibition, the curators have also set up a special display case that combines pottery vases from around the world, showing vases inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, ceramic vases with shapes from the Middle East, and plates made from iridescent ceramics firing techniques in ancient Egypt.
At the exhibition site, the reporter also found that the curator specially restored a home of arts and crafts - the "Red House", which is as large as the living room and bedroom, as small as a bed, a fireplace, and a collar all reproduce the spirit of delicate perception of art and handicrafts in that period in front of the audience. These arts and crafts that transcend time, space and geography are finally presented in their common stage, the "house", just as Morris and his friend Philip Webb had in mind when they designed the "Red Room", one of the most influential buildings of the second half of the 19th century: to bring the design idea of "combining practicality and beauty" into thousands of households.
Today, despite the passage of time, people's fashion and aesthetic tastes have changed. But the ideals of pursuing beauty and realizing the value of life through meaningful work still shine brightly, and it is still of great significance to each of us.
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