ARTS & CRAFTS MOVEMENT

PERIOD : 1834 AD – 1896 AD

PIONEERS OF THE MOVEMENT: JOHN RUSKIN, WILLIAM MORRIS
CENTERS: ENGLAND, Architects: Philip Webb, Charles F. Voysey, Edwin Lutyens
: USA, Architect: F.L.Wright

 The Arts and Crafts Movement began in England primarily as a search for authentic and meaningful styles for
the 19th century and as a reaction to the eclectic historicism of the Victorian era and to 'soulless' machine-
made production aided by the Industrial Revolution
 A prelude to Modernism, with pure forms rejecting superficial, false “revivalism”
 A celebration of individual design and craftsmanship where the personality of the designer became more central
than the historical "style" of a design
 Enormously influenced by the progressive and rational writings and the legendary book “Seven Lamps of
Architecture” of John Ruskin, the English writer, thinker, painter, moralist. He advocated for:
 return of the medieval craft tradition
 rejection of machine
 a socialistic theory to improve towns, buildings, design of products, & the lives of the common men
 best known practitioners was William Morris who implemented it
The Philosophy:
 turned away from the use of machines and advocated handcraft
 simplicity and honest use of materials negating historicism
 Socialist undertones, as the goal was to create design “for the people and by the people, and a source of pleasure
to the maker and the user."
 rectilinear and angular forms with stylized decorative motifs reminiscent of medieval (Gothic) and Islamic
design

Arts & Crafts Movement in Architecture:

An aesthetic reformist Movement influenced British decorative arts, architecture, furniture, crafts, 'cottage' and
garden designs and also town planning.
The principles:
 Free Planning- asymmetrical, non-formal, functional planning in non- urban setting.
 Honesty of use of materials – use of vernacular materials with traditional medieval craftsmanship.
 Gothic influence – in the roof profile & the non-picturesqueness.
 Rejection of superficial, false ornamentation of Neo-Classic or Neo-Gothic.
Influence of Arts & Crafts Movement
 USA: F.L.Wright was inspired by the Movement & manifested in “organic Architecture” of “Prairie
Houses” in search of a national identity in Architecture
 Germany: initiated the national obsession for values for honesty in use of materials, simplicity and rationality in
design approach, ultimately manifested in “Bauhaus”
 Spain: Antonio Gaudi was inspired: embraced naturalism, medievalism
 India: “Indo-Saracenic” Colonial Architecture Style became official style for New Delhi
 Town Planning – revival of English medieval, vernacular, cottage architecture initiated “Garden City”
movement
 Art Nouveau - “new style” manifested the ideologies of the Arts & Crafts Movement
EXAMPLE: Red House, Bexleyheath, London

IN USA: The
movement often is referred as the style of interior design known as Mission style served middle class consumers
with affordable, decent looking furniture. Furniture were designed to take advantage of machines to produce mass
quantity low-cost, sturdy, serviceable furniture. The style was a blending of the arts and crafts rectilinear forms with
traditional Spanish colonial architecture and Native American artifacts.
PRAIRIE HOUSES
F.L. Wright was inspired by the Arts & Crafts Movement & traditional Japanese architecture and in search of a
national style he formulated the concept of his “Organic Architecture” for designing suburban domestic architecture
called as “Prairie houses” in Illinois.
The principles of the Prairie Houses:
 Harmony with the nature – building should appear to grow from the ground and merge with nature
 Spatial continuity – Hearth ( fire place ) at the center and spaces arranged around the hearth with minimum
internal walls.
 Honesty in the use of materials and structure – use of vernacular materials in its original colour & textures.
 Horizontality
 Integrity in design – each element including furnitures were designed in integrity with the planning.
 Identity of each house –Each house should express the identity according to the users.
EXAMPLES : The Robie House