Arts & Crafts Style

by Isabelle Anscombe

The central feature of the Arts and Crafts movement, which flourished in the 1870s and 1880s, was the ideal of craftsmanship. Artists and craft workshops produced textiles, furniture, ceramics, and metalwork which raised everyday objects to a level of the decorative arts. This illustrated survey examines the movement in Europe and North America. 180 illustrations, 100 in color.

Genres: Art, Art History

232 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 1991

Reviews

[Claire Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verrry facts-based (names, dates, details), which makes it an excellent reference book, but it does drag if you're seeking a more narrative chronology of Arts & Crafts Style in the Victorian-prewar era. Intermittent paragraphs discuss the era's gender and class structures, but the majority of the book is detail-oriented. It just ends on a piece of British pottery!

[Koen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Arts and Crafts” by Isabella Anscombe.
ISB number: 978-0-7148-3469-6.
Publisher by Phaidon Press Limited

First of all, the illustrations and photographs of high quality and simply wonderful.
Secondly the amount of in-depth information provided by Isabella Anscombe is easy to read and also follows a natural flow the developments in the Art and Crafts, set in time.
And what I really enjoyed is that Anscombe also described the parallel developments of the Art movements in several countries on the mainland and in America. This gives insight in the differences and similarities between the different movements.
If you want to read more about this subject, check the Bibliography op page 226

For me *****-stars and to give an impression of the subjects covered, I’ve included the contents of the book below

Contents
• Introduction
• Part One, Coherence Out of Chaos
o The search for a new style
o The choice of Gothic
o Stained glass
o William Morris, Morris and Company
o The Victorian fear of Chaos
o The Martin Brothers
o William Burgers
• Part Two, The Exploration of Arts and Crafts Ideals
o A new gospel is spread
o The Art Chair
o C.R. Ashbee
o Entertainment
o Private Presses
o Gustav Stickly
o An Eclectic Style
o E.W. Godwin
o Christopher Dresser
o Louis Comfort Tiffany
• Part Three, The Popularization of the Movement
o The Refinement of the Style
o C.F.A. Voysey
o Gimson and the Barnsleys
o Wallpapers
o Carpets
o Metalwork
o A Middle-class Enthusiasm
o Lighting
o The Hospital Board
o Tiles
o The Nursery
o Illustrators
o The Benediction of Good Taste
o Embroidery
o American Ceramics
o Fashion
o Jewellery
• Part Four, Into the Twentieth Century
o New Departures
o Charles Rennie Mackintosh
o Josef Hoffman and the Wiener Werkstätte
o Richard Riemerschmid
o Textiles
o A Second Generation Interprets the Style
o Frank Lloyd Wright
o Greene and Greene
o Garden Design
• Part Five, The Continuing Influence of the Movement
o The Modern Movement is Born
o A Continuing Legacy
o British Artist-Potters
• Bibliography
• Acknowledgements
• Index

[Cyn McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Kind of a slog. A lot of information, but mostly names and dates and who was a student of, or a business partner of, or friends with, or influenced by, someone else. Very frustrating because the author would mention specific artists and their works without accompanying photographs or sufficient information to track them down. [Example: an unnamed typeface designed by Edward Johnston, illustrated by a different typeface designed by Eric Gill.] Useful as an overview of the history of the Arts and Crafts movement, but not any kind of in depth discussion.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cranbrook http://www.cranbrook.edu/ http://www.cranbrookart.edu/museum/co... had an exhibit of Morris's textile designs and the gift shop was packed with goodies, including this. If you're interested it's out there for $7.00, a steal if there ever was one. I couldn't find the jacket of the edition I have which is glorious so this will have to do.