Woodworker's Journal 2004 Spring, страница 4

ART5 (J CRAfT5 WITH A I® ION

Photo above courtesy of Craftsman Auctions Lambertvillc/David Rogo and Jerry Cohen.

The difference between the terms Mission, Prairie and Arts & Crafts has mystified woodworkers for years, so we set out to seek some simple truths about each style. It turns out that the major figures in these movements thought their work brought Truth, with a capital T, into the home — and that defining each term separately isn't so simple.

By Joanna Werch Takes

Gustav Stickley's Morris chair (above) could trace its origin to 19th century England's Arts & Crafts movement. Forms and materials from nature inspired designs; construction might incorporate handworked materials in wood, glass or textiles. The influence extended even to Art Nouveau designers like Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who made the chairs at right.

10

Kathfriue VI rU:' ■ Virginia Museum uf Fine Arts, Rieluiwiifl. Gift of Sydney am! Frntnrs l.nt :

The genesis of these various styles was the Arts & Crafts movement. While Mission and Prairie had their disciples, even these artisans pledged allegiance to Arts & Crafts. More than a style, Arts & Crafts is an attitude.

Its prophet was Englishman William Morris, who dropped out of Oxford seminary after deciding he could save more souls through the decorative and applied arts. Instead of debasing themselves at the machines of the Industrial Revolution, Morris's followers would create handcrafted items of practical beauty.

Their customers were also supposed to find their work uplifting. As designer Charles Voysey wrote, "Cold vegetables are less harmful than ugly dish covers. One affects the body and the other affects the soul."

The natural materials and exposed construction associated with Arts & Crafts furniture express the value Morris and his followers placed on traditional techniques. In addition, elements of gothic and medieval design and occasional folk art decorations reflect the movement's reverence for history and for designs accessible to the masses. Some Arts & Crafts designers even explored Japanese or Italian Renaissance influences.

What all of them had in common was a view of their work as art, not mass production. They created furniture, textiles, stained glass and other media with this concept in mind, and, to carry their message to the world, Morris and his committee named their 1880s organization the Arts & Crafts

Spring 2004 Arts & Crafts Furniture