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ARTS & CRAFTS MOVEMENT developed in England as a protest against the
character of mid-Victorian manufactured products. It slowly evolved between
1850 and 1920 into an international campaign for design reform affecting
all aspects of the environment from architecture and gardens to interior
furnishings, finishing materials and accessories. Supporters argued that
design affects society, and that the character of the living and working
environment molds the character of the individual. They feared that mid-nineteenth
century design had gone astray so they condemned the shoddy workmanship,
indiscriminate use of materials, inefficient forms and elaborate ornamentation
of most mid-Victorian manufactured products. Supporters believed that such
products had a deleterious effect upon society. They hoped to improve the
quality of design and thus strengthen the character of the individual and
society as a whole. To achieve this goal, they strove to ensure that traditional
methods of craftsmanship would survive, despite machine production, to
ameliorate the working conditions of artisans and craftsmen and to encourage
artistic collaboration among workers. Their intention was to improve the
quality of life for everyone by restoring integrity to the objects common
to daily living. Desired outcome was the restoration of dignity to the
maker, integrity to the product, discrimination to the user and artistic
cooperation throughout the design process.
The Arts & Crafts Movement was propounded chiefly by three ardent advocates, A.W.N. Pugin, John Ruskin and William Morris, who by work and deed spread the message not only within Britain but throughout the industrialized world. From The Encyclopedia of Arts and Crafts, The International Arts Movement 1850-1920, Wendy Kaplan, Consulting Editor, 196 For more information try here.
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