Popular Woodworking 2008-11 № 172, страница 42

In the hands of genius, ordinary items become fine art.

BY DAVID MATH I AS & ROBERT W. LANG

_<Xne of ihe best-known quota-

lions to arise from the Arts &r Crafls movement is from William Morris. A founding father of the movement in England. Morris was part designer, part philosopher and part social activist. He famously said, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

Brothers Charles and Henry Greene were luminaries of the Arts <Sr Crafls period in the United States. While not involved in social aspects ol the movement they did practice many of the design tenets. Charles Greene wrote of their principles for domestic architecture, that they strove,.. to make these necessaryand useful things pleasurable." The Greenes turned Morris'"or" into an "and." They saw no reason that objects couldn't be both useful and beautiful. This simple idea is at the heart of their best work.

One of the Greenes' talents was an ability to make common things uncommonly beautiful. Here we will focus on

66 ■ Popular Woodworking November 2008

IIKJIf »jt\ oavhjma'mias