The Arts and Crafts Movement - Hardcover

Rosalind P. Blakesley

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0714838497 ISBN 13: 9780714838496

Publisher: Phaidon Press, 2006

Synopsis

Dating from the 1850s to the First World War, the Arts and Crafts Movement was an international phenomenon of enormous scope and influence. This book explores the common ideas that give cohesion to a movement of otherwise bewildering breadth and stylistic heterogeneity. It examines various arts and crafts centres.

About this title

Review:

"A fresh, meaty and finely illustrated account. [Blakesley] steers us effortlessly through the complex web of ideas which underlay their thinking and the different communities of artists and thinkers who made up, in a loose sense, the movement."―Country Life

"Impeccably reproduced illustrations and a distinguished design."―Building Design

"Exceptionally well produced, even by Phaidon standards – design and printing are of the highest quality... Blakesley is a fluent and engaging writer, with an expressive spark that frequently illuminates the subject matter... She has read widely, travelled extensively and knows her source material inside out. Her account of the roots of the Arts and Crafts [...] is first rate... As Blakesley hint in a brief afterword, the ideas of these pioneers still resonate in a world dominated by over-production and waste and badly in need of a new philosophy of architecture and design."―Architect's Journal

"Enthralling and provocative... A handsome survey, stuffed with marvelous illustrations... The greatest pleasure of this well-written book is the ease with which the author links a huge range of phenomena, [...] finding a compelling unity in the ideas behind an enormous diversity in practice."―V & A (Victoria & Albert Museum magazine)

"One of the most thorough surveys of the breadth and impact of the Arts and Crafts... Blakesley sets a new benchmark in Arts and Crafts critique with this comprehensive and attractive volume."―Antiques

"Nothing short of brilliant... Will probably become the seminal work on the subject."―Artists & Illustrators

"[A] magnificent overview."―Apollo

"[Blakesley's] coverage is wider than anything we have had before... As well as a kaleidoscope of ideas, Blakesley provides a splendid array of images. It is one of Phaidon's best produced books for some time."―The Architectural Review

"A fascinating - and pretty definitive - survey... Beautifully illustrated."―The Independent

"...Unlike many other books covering the subject, hers goes beyond discussing its origin and development in Victorian England."―American Craft

"In this beautifully illustrated survey, the arts and crafts movement is interpreted more broadly than usual... This book offers much to consider and enjoy."―Interior Design

"Photographs luxuriate in a glorious open design, beautifully printed on thick rich paper, creating a feast for the eyes."―Publishers Weekly

Synopsis:

Dating from the 1850s to the First World War, the Arts and Crafts Movement was an international phenomenon of enormous scope and influence. It encompassed everything from architecture to town planning, metalwork and embroidery, in places as diverse as California and Budapest. Born of thinkers and practitioners in Victorian England its ideological currents reflect the era's most pressing social, political and artistic concerns. In this book Rosalind Blakesley explores the common ideas that give cohesion to a movement of otherwise bewildering breadth and stylistic heterogeneity. At the origins of the movement was a reaction against industrialization, the long-standing division between traditional crafts and Fine Art and the over-elaborate ornamentation which disguised an object or building's true 'function'. Early British Arts and Crafts practitioners campaigned for a revival of old craft techniques, for the elevation of the applied arts and for 'honesty' in design, ideas that were picked up and developed across Europe and the United States, with national variants quickly emerging.

Germany, for example, recognized the potential of industrial techniques and experimented with standardization in design; in Finland, then annexed to Russia, Arts and Crafts was allied to the search for self-expression and a national style in art. Examining both acknowledged Arts and Crafts centres and lesser-known communities, Rosalind Blakesley concludes her authoritative and accessible survey with an evaluation of the Movement's significance in the twenty-first century.

About this edition

• Publisher: Phaidon Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0714838497
• ISBN 13: 9780714838496
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272