The History of Arts and Crafts Essay Example For Students

The History of Arts and Crafts Essay The distinction between railcar and releasing can be at times problematic explain what you understand these terms to mean, and illustrate their application in relationship to the work of one practitioner. The definition for craft is, the making Of decorative or functional Objects, generally by hand. Hand and power tools may be used, however, in making some craft items. The term crafts also refers to the Objects made. The function Of crafts is generally concerned with crafts as creative hobbies, practiced primarily in the home With a minimum of specialized equipment. Crafts as so defined, have certain functions. In a world that is becoming increasingly mechanized and standardized, they give people the opportunity to work with their hands and to express their individuality. Crafts also are often used in occupational therapy, for example, a patient might be taught a craft to develop weakened muscles or to help in gaining use of an artificial limb. An emotionally disturbed person might be taught a craft that would serve as an outlet for feelings. Coachwork also provides the disabled with purposeful activity that diverts attention from their handicaps. Many hobbyists find themselves going into business. A craftsperson ho perhaps has at first sold craft items only to friends or at local bazaars may tint that increased demand leads to a wider clientele and sales by mail order, at crafts fairs, or through a shop, There is a fine line of distinction between crafts produced by amateur hobbyists for their personal satisfaction and crafts that in the hands of gifted artisans approach or can be considered art forms, generally made with a view toward the use and enjoyment of others. The difference between hobby-produced crafts and formal decorative art objects lies in the degree of innovation in form and technique and in the intention of the artisan. Crafts can be grouped by technique or medium. Under the headings that follow are brief descriptions of some of those crafts most popular with hobbyists today, With indications Of the degree Of skill and basic equipment required. The type Of craft that Will be studying is known as handicraft. Strictly speaking, handicrafts are occupations that involve making usable or decorative products by hand. Before the Industrial Revolution all such products were handmade, often in the home. The age of the machine nearly did away with the traditional crafts by fostering mass production. During the mid. 19th century, however, reaction against the machine took place in Great Britain, Called the Arts and Crafts Movement, it urged a new appreciation for decorative, handmade products. The movement did a great deal to bring about todays interest in handicrafts, often as a hobby, for limited production of quality goods. Whether as a hobby or a vocation, handicrafts encompass activities that require a variety to skills. They also usually require some equipment and, because they do, the term handicraft may seem misleading, Knitting, for example, requires the use of needles. Among the common handicrafts are model building, needlework, lace making, tottery, woodworking, scrimshaw (whale- and walrus-bone carving), ornamental metalworking, glassblowing, and the making of stained glass, jewelry, and mosaics. Handicrafts as a hobby have become a major industry. There are packaged kits for models Of ships, automobiles, airplanes, rockets, military vehicles, human anatomy, birds, and animals; painting: mosaics; needlepoint; embroidery; and crafts that use plastics, wood, leather, textiles, metal, cork, wool, yard goods, and laces. Kits for chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and the earth sciences represent the sciences. Some hobbyists reject the use Of kits as too commercial. They use their own materials, often-discarded goods, for their craft. A quilt, for instance, can be made from squares of colorful cloth sewed together. Rugs can be made on a handloom from old rags. Newspapers, paste, and powdered glue are the basis of paper-mach for masks, puppets, float displays, and other artifacts. Design is the lines, shapes, or layout of any product, whether for use or show. Most fields to design have been influenced by the struggle between practical and artistic consideration. The theory of functionalism, which was popular in he early 20th century, maintained that the requirements of use and economy, rather than aesthetic consideration, should determine optimum design-an idea that was particularly influential on industrial design, but also had an impact on the design of such things as typography. The term design is now used in such phrases as interior design or set design, where it implies a special regard for the requirement of appearance and improvement of marketability by imparting an attractive appearance or one in line with current fashions, within the margins of variation imposed by the requirements of use and economy. The importance f consumer appeal in design is shown by the recent expansion in the field of graphic design. The field of design goes beyond painting and drawing, sculpture, architecture, and handicrafts. It includes thousands Of mass-produced Objects that were designed for everyday use. Many industrial designers products from chairs to stereo equipment-are exhibited in art museums. Throughout the ages people have designed things to meet their needs. The armor worn by knights was designed to protect them in medieval warfare. Birch bark canoes were designed to meet the needs of the American Indians. Skyscrapers were designed to roved the best use valuable ground space. As new materials and new methods are found, new designs are created to make use of them, As needs change, new designs are made to meet those needs. The telephone in use today could not have been designed I CO years ago. The modern telephone, with its swift automatic_ dialing, is convenient to use. It blends with office or home furnishings. The design of the standard modern telephone housed in strong plastic makes it simple, usable, and compact. Its surfaces are smooth and easy to clean and come in a variety of colors. The first step in design is to consider he use of the object. This determines shape, material, color, and size. Its parts need to be large enough to do their work but no larger. It has no needless ornaments. This is design for use, or functional design. Modern functional design appears in many homes today This is especially true in the kitchen, because clean, simple lines save work. Manufacturers of refrigerators, stoves, and washing machines combine the talents of fine engineers and designers to produce machines that are beautiful as well as useful. People are slower to accept improved design in some home furnishings. The common dining-room hair, for example, is often still made of straight slabs of wood. It is heavy to lift. Its shape has little in common With the shape Of the human body. After a time it becomes uncomfortable. Designers have been developing lightweight chairs. These conform to the natural curves Of the body and support it With ease and comfort. The molded plywood chair designed by Charles Names and Error Sardine in 1940 sis classic of contemporary design. This quality of good design extends to the styling of clothes, the sleek lines of automobiles, the patterns of superhighways, and the planning of growing cities. In these and in other areas people use their creative abilities to design things for better living. Most professional designers specialize in a specific field such as dresses, furniture, automobiles, or books. These people usually have special training and experience in that particular field, Yet, to some degree, each of us is a designer, The choices we make in our clothing, the way we set a table, arrange flowers and furniture, and decorate the walls of our homes-all these involve planning and organizing to meet our needs. These may be functional needs of the body or they may be non-functional needs of the spirit, but each is creative, There re two important types of designs created by people. First are designs, which are made for flat, two-dimensional surfaces. Second are designs made for three-dimensional objects. Two-dimensional designing includes such activities as drawing, painting, and producing surface patterns on fabrics, rugs, and wallpaper and in advertising layouts. Three-dimensional designing includes sculpture; architecture; handicrafts such as jewelry, pottery, and leatherwork; clothing and machine-made objects such as automobiles, stoves, chairs, and pencil sharpeners. Design is also found in nature. The pebble, washed by the ins of the ages, wears to a beautiful free-flowing form. There is design in the swelling, spiraling form of seashells and the upward soar of a pine. There is design in the arrangement of petals on a flower, the spacing of leaves on a stem. People have studied the basic rhythms in natural forms so that they might also design pleasing relationships. To make anything, whether it is a painting, a chair, or a house, suitable materials must be chosen. These might be wood, stone, metal, glass, or paint. The materials must then be organized within an area or volume. To do this we use the elements to design. These are line, color, value, space, mass, and texture. The arrangement of these elements is determined by the principles of design- proportion, rhythm, and balance. There are several elements of design, such as line, which defines the shapes we use in design. Lines may be straight or curved, delicate or bold. They may be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. Their directions can suggest movement, mood, or emotion. Another is color, color has three basic properties. They are hue, value, and saturation. Hue refers to a particular color such as red, blue, or yellow;L The hue of an apple is red. Value refers to he lightness or darkness of a color. Colors, such as yellow or orange, are light in value. Some colors, such as purple or brown, are dark in value We can lighten the value of a color by adding white or darken it by adding black. Saturation, also called Chromo, refers to the purity Of a color. If we Wish to decrease the saturation of a color, we dull it by adding a mixture of other colors. Colors also hue Other important qualities. Those, Which contain yellow or red are warm colors. They seem to be solid, advance toward us, and expand in their size. Cool colors are those, Which contain blue. They seem o be spacious, withdraw from us, and contract in size. Colors can affect our emotions. Some colors make us feel happy and excited. Other colors make us feel sad. We surround ourselves in our homes with the colors we like. Value is the amount of light reflected by a surface. If there is little contrast in the amount of light reflected from surfaces near each other, the eye has difficulty in distinguishing them. A sharp contrast of light and dark values is necessary to attract attention. Even vivid brilliant color contrasts, a painter must carefully balance the distribution to lights and darks throughout his picture. Compare Two Biographies Of Wayne Gretzky EssayDesigns in primitive sculpture reappear in modern sculpture. It is interesting to compare the two pictures of sculptures of heads. An artist of Gabon made the mask. An English sculptress, Barbara Whooper, did the second sculpture. Each reduces the head to a simple egg shape. Facial features are primarily accents on an Otherwise abstract shape. Ancient Egyptians produced great amount of sculpture carved of hard stone such as basalt. Only portrait heads were accurately reproduced. The figure was always rigid and stiffly erect. The Greeks developed a highly realistic type of stone sculpture. Their figures Insisted and turned, forming compositions that were pleasingly curved. The purpose of architecture has always been to provide some type of shelter. It might he a tomb, a temple, a factory, or a dwelling. The plan, the method of construction, and even the final appearance of a structure should be determined by its purpose. The oldest known examples of architecture are in Egypt. Some t the most important structures were built as tombs. They were made of great stone blocks and are now called pyramids. Egyptian temples were thick walled, with yeah pillars. The Greeks developed a much lighter, smaller type of architecture in their temples. Out in front columns supported a portico, In some of the more important temples, such as the Parthenon, the columns circled the entire building. Greek architects designed the columns and their parts very carefully. Certain excellent designs became famous and were known as orders. These were called Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The Romans needed huge public alluding such as market places, public baths, and arenas. To provide large open spaces, they built curving masonry walls. These turned inward until they met in a rounded arch. The Romans were the first to build with concrete. They used it for huge domed buildings such as the Pantheon and vast amusement centers such as the Coliseum. Roman architecture achieved a feeling of strength and dignity through its massiveness. In the Middle Ages religion was the centre of life. There was need of cathedrals that could house throngs of people. This led architects in northern France to design a new method Of construction. It used pointed stone arches held up by slim pillars and narrow ribs. This permitted large open areas on the sides Of buildings. These were filled With stained glass windows. It was called the Gothic style of architecture. During the early Renaissance, architects returned to Greek and Roman methods of building. The walls, however, were more open with windows and doors, and they became more elaborate with surface decorations. By the early 19th century there were so many styles based on the past that the art of this period was known as eclectic- composed of elements drawn from various sources. As early as 1848 cast iron was used for a building constructed in New York City. By about 1855 architects had developed a type of construction that used a skeleton of metalcast iron. Cast iron made possible floor spans of greater width than ever before, A second important material was concrete, which the Romans had used By 1900 concrete had taken the place off great deal of masonry and wood. The development of structural steel and plate glass revolutionized the walls of shops and department stores. They afforded far more height and light The invention of the elevator in 852 made the dream of the skyscraper a possibility An American architect, Louis Sullivan, pioneered in modern methods and design. Handicrafts are items used in daily living that have been made by people With their hands. These include tools, weapons, vessels, jewelry, and fabrics. The finest Of these blend the useful and the beautiful. People have always desired objects, which function well and are pleasing to the eye at the same time. The earliest stone implements Of prehistoric cave peoples were made only as useful objects. Gradually there appeared a feeling for proportion and balance. Such refinement took place in the shape of the hand axe and other items. The pottery of prehistoric peoples was simple and rugged. Some was decorated with lines, spirals, zigzags, and dots. These often served to strengthen the structural lines and surfaces. Later, primitive artists developed quite elaborate designs based upon animal and human forms. Egyptian artists developed great skill in designing and making their handicrafts. They learned to cast, hammer, and solder gold. They made elegant vases to alabaster. Small toilet articles such as cosmetic boxes were carved from wood, The perfecting Of ceramic glazing made Seibel handsome beads, pendants, scarabs, figurines, and even architectural decorations. In Crete the potter was of special importance since his wares were articles of commerce. Greece also developed pottery to a tine art. The Greeks used only a few basic shapes but gave special attention to refining proportions, contours, handles, and decorations. Probably no other people have used the human figure in pottery decoration as much as the Greeks. Handicrafts flourished during the middle Ages. Luxurious fabrics were required for church vestments and castle tapestries Vessels for church services and jeweled ornaments were also much in demand. Enameling on metal, an art that has been revived in the 20th century, was highly developed During the Renaissance handicrafts alternated between the decorative arts and the useful arts. Among the decorative arts were enameling, tapestry work, and gold work. Outstanding among useful handicrafts were ironwork, furniture, and glassware. One of the high points Of the 16th century was the perfection Of glass blowing in the city of Venice In the 17th and 18th centuries furniture making developed as a handicraft. After the massively carved and gilded furniture Of the period Of Louis XIV came a period of transition. It introduced lighter, more graceful forms. Cabinetmakers began to use more curved designs. Later, craftsmen copied both Greek and Roman styles. These included the use of lyres, urns, festoons, and decorative animal forms. Among the famed English cabinetmakers were Thomas Chippendale, the Adam Brothers, Thomas Sheraton, and George Whiplashes. ; The Industrial Revolution brought the use of power machinery in many fields. These machines began turning out objects cheaply and in large quantities. The ease of production led to many abuses. Manufacturers, lacking in art experience ND training, often produced unattractive objects. Because the machine could reproduce ornaments easily, decoration was used to excess. It was applied to everything, often hiding defects in structure. Mechanized ugliness led to the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain and America. The movement was founded by William Morris of England He insisted that only handmade objects were really beautiful, and he encouraged a return to the simple handicrafts of the past. The movement failed to achieve its goal, but it did succeed in calling attention to the need for good design in industry. Competition in the mass sales of identical objects was probably the chief cause of the final union between art and industry. During the asses manufacturers first felt the need for expert advice on designing highly competitive articles such as home appliances. The new industrial designers created better products by following three basic design principles. First, materials should be honestly used. For example. Metal should never be painted to kick like wood. Second, all forms should be kept simple in their shape. One of the best arguments in favor of this principle was the ease of cleaning simple surfaces. Third, products should be designed in such a way hat their appearance expressed their function. A bed should not be disguised to look like a bookcase. Some of the influential figures in the development of American industrial design were Norman Bell Geodes, Walter Donning Outage, Henry Dressers, Harold Van Doreen, and Raymond Lowly. They made America streamline conscious. Streamlining originally implied a bullet or tear-drop shape. Now everything trot a pencil sharpener to a radio has been designed for this effect, though it may bear no relationship to its usefulness. The idea of simplifying exterior surface on all types of machine-made objects has gained favor. Surface interest is provided by the contrast of dull and bright, and by the simple beauty of such materials as porcelain, enamel, glass, copper, aluminum, brass, and steel. Any added ornament is closely related to the structure and seems to be an actual part of the object itself. A poet and painter, William Morris was first of all a practical, working artist. He designed houses, furniture, wallpaper, draperies, and books-and built or made them as well. His efforts in behalf of good design and quality craftsmanship gave rise to the Arts and Crafts Movement, which influenced taste and raised standards of brinkmanship wrought Europe. He was also an ardent, hard-working social reformer. Morris was born on March 24, 1834, in Walworth, a suburb of London, England. He went to Marlborough College and later to Exeter College, Oxford. At Oxford Morris began a lifelong friendship with Edward Burner-Jones, later a famous painter. After college, they joined a group Of Pre-Raphael painters, headed by the poet-painter Dante Gabriel Rosettes. In 1859 Morris married Jane Burden, whom he had often painted. After his marriage Morris began his career as a decorator. He disliked the elaborate furniture of the day and decided o design and make his own. In 1861 Morris, Burnooses, Rosettes, and others started a business in London to make such furniture as Morris chairs, They also made curtains, rugs, tapestries, wallpaper, and stained glass. Much later Morris started his Coltsfoot Press in Hammering, where he turned out well- designed books. In the asses he became an active socialist and taught that work without joy was fit only for slaves, He died on Cot. 3, 1896, in Hammering, near London. The arts and craft movement, a British social and aesthetic movement of the latter half of the 19th century that aimed to reassert the importance of reaffirmations in the face of increasing mechanization and mass production. It had its basis in the ideas of Puking and Risking, the most influential of the writers vivo deplored the effects of industrialization, but it was left to William Morris to translate their ideas into practical activity. His hand-made products (books, furniture, textiles, wall-paper, and so on) were successful aesthetically, but his ideal Of producing art for the masses failed. Nevertheless, he influenced craftsmen, teachers, and propagandists (such as C. R. Achebe, who founded the Guild Of Handicraft in 1888), and in the early years Of the 20th century the deals of the Arts and Crafts Movement spread abroad, notably to Germany, Austria, the Low Countries, and Scandinavia, where the Danish silver designer George Jensen was one of the key figures.