Craftmade ideology: William Morris

I understand that much persons or read can think that it is a homage to ideology that much would assimilate to socialism, but when we talk around Morris, we can consider much human principle but not certainly the socialism that not was present during life of Morris, his participation to life of worker we, today consider socialism, but it was alone interest for worker condition, and not certainly a ideological consideration with revolution, which neither Karl Marx has thought, we call this ideology  with name of socialism but we could call it with other name; the socialism neither with Marx will have a theoretical establishment, and Morris was very attentive to common life but he was also much utopian, theoretical and very distant by reality; anyway Morris is very known for establishment of Art and Kraft; exemple of Morris was very important for a consideration of humankind as human be and not alone as worker. William Morris born at March 1834 in Clay Hill, he attended the Preparatory School in Walthamstow and among 1848 to 1851 he attended  the Marlborough College, where he found books around Middle Age, after college he is helped by a preceptor, F. B. Guy, who prepared William for access to Exeter College, but William is busied also for translations by Homer and Virgil. He was admitted to Oxford at 1852, and there he become very friend with Edward Burne-Jones. He wrote also a poem with title Dedication of the Temple, which considers Crusades with rightly spirit. His choice around Middle Age is consolidated after visit with others student in France and above all cathedrals of Abbeville, Amiens, Beauvais Chartres, Rouen and Paris; but he worked also for Oxford and Cambridge Magazine, 1856, and he started to work in store of architect George Edmund Street, neo-gothic architect, and there he learned technical drawing, model clay and carving of wood; but very important for development of Art and Kraft will be meet with Dante Gabriele Rossetti, who suggested to Morris a transfer to 17^th Red Lion Square, and there will begin work of Art and Kraft, and in fact furnishings is worked by same members, Morris continued to write he published The Defence of Guinevere and Other Poems, and at 1861 is created officially Company Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, with his manifesto with principles, it says: The development of decorative art in our country, for enforce of architects has reached a high level because artists with much reputation can dedicate time and busy. Certainly much exemple are very good but we must consider that they are insufficient again. Till now the direction which guarantees harmony among different share of work is absent, because spend is very much if one distract an artist by his job for to assume this direction. The artists above mentioned try get over this difficult, also because among them are also different artists, and they will can start every decoration, both painting and other also small object, also those modest, they hope that for this collaboration the price of artistic job became very small; because they have studied very much decorative art of every country, and they have recognized lack of company capable of a very good job; for this they have founded a firm for to work decoration of homes, churches and monuments, every sculpture for architecture, windows and considering above all harmony with walls; metal works every gender, also jewellers; furnishing whose beautiful is for together, and tapestry and other decorative materials. We must add that these materials will be worked for commerce, and we believe that good decoration, which has good point rather good point of richness will be less expensive in confront of one considers generally. During exibition in South Kensington at 1862, and where are appreciated furnishing of Philippe Webb, much commissions for church and home are present; in fact this firm decorated armoury and tapestry room of Jame’s Palace, and Dining room in London, where Morris and other were transferred. Morris continued also with his literary work, and at 1867, he published The life and dead of Jason and following The Earthly Paradise; at 1869 he published the translated by Icelandic, language which he has learned for Eirik Magnusson, The Saga of Gunnlaug Worm-Tongue e del Eyrbyggja Saga, The Story of Grettis the Strong. After Rossetti got out from firm, it continued with wallpaper and tapestry, at 1875, and again at this year he is elected Examiner to School of art in South Kensington; Morris while matured his ideological conscience and he criticized the war against Russian with a pamphlet with title Unjust war. He is elected also, at 1877, secretary of Society for the Protection of Ancient Building, and after he become treasurer of National Liberal League. It seems that ideology of Morris now is become socialism, with pamphlet Summary of the Principles of Socialism, 1884, determined for Morris exclusion by middle class circles, but with inclusion to Democratic Federation, and conferences around art and richness. He continued his publicity for Art and Kraft Exhibition Society, and a year after his death he founded a printing works; in fact he bought a villa in 16^th Upper Mall, and there he created  the Kelmscott Press, after much arrested and other personal episodes he died at 3th October 1892. For judgement around to ideological activity of Morris we must consider judge of Engels on him and other: “We not could find three men less adapted for an political organization than Morris, Aveling and Bax”. Morris seen for the corporatism of Middle Age an age almost Arcadian past, more ideal rather real, when an artistic work was destined to history and use; this concept was expressed by Morris at a discourse talked in Edinburg, October 1889, for Congress of National Association for development of art: “Applied arts is chosen for this gender art. What do we can understand around this word? That this society want demonstrated, when it mentioned applied arts, is ornamental quality that men use for give to useful object…Without hesitation I say that to apply art and decoration to useful object is duple, first for give beautiful human work and second because it gives joy same work, otherwise it would be dislike…This declaration around human job but not artistic I want fixed on your mind; if you not give art to useful object, you will have insignificant object, and a object that will have same destiny of cover infected…During this discourse Morris given referent to synergy of art and artist: “ The unit of arts is like a beautiful home, fit for aim and with flourishment. Or it can be one most beautiful and splendid public building, built for aspiration of citizens…This is artistic unit: this home, this church and this municipality building, built and decorated by concord enforce of a people. If creator of this building is great architect, painter or sculptor, an engraver, mosaics worker and weaver, neither for this case he could think and works all these alone; something of his genius is present also at other members of community…”, but ideology is inconcrete now we must inquiry also workers of store Morris’s, more known as Marshall, Faulkner Co., wall paper manifests a right adhesion to stylization that concentred drawing in graphical work and some concession to Oriental culture, above all for mellifluent lines; for Birds, duple weft, it is evolution of Norman cloth, but gathered at exuberant decorative works marks medievalism of Morris, but with Arabic remind.

Alessandro Lusana