Craft Movement: The Arts And Crafts Movement

Introduction
The Arts and Crafts Movement was a movement that stemmed from peoples reaction to mechanization that came from the industrial revolution in Britain.it was identified as not a style but an attitude to design and production and had a huge influence on the simplification of designs and production today. The movement was known to be “one of the most influential, profound and far-reaching design movements of modern times” (The Arts and Crafts Movement: [sa]).The ideals of this was linked to the simplification of design and the improving of the quality of the designs whilst ensuring that the design contributed to improving society and creating a “relationship between products, their function and the consumer”. William Morris was” an

The colours of the backgrounds include chocolate, indigo, slate, grape and the original crimson colour. The deep red colour of the background interacts well with the warm and earthy green, yellow and blue tomes in the design. Tone is created in the design by the variation of linework used around and in the forms present that contrast the flat colours used. The midtones also add to the calming atmosphere of the artwork as a whole. There’s a variation of thick and thin lines visible in the artwork, most of the lines outlining the shapes and forms visible in the design. The lines appear to be more organic and curved as it mimics the form of the organic matter portrayed in the design and becomes part of the plants, flowers, fruits and birds present in the design .The positive shapes throughout the design are very relaxed and organic in shape. The curvilinear shapes give life to an informal composition while the repetition of these shapes and forms and the symmetrically of them being mirrored from the left and right side conflicted with this effect giving off a more formal

It was said by Linda Parry (William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement 1989:5) that “his designs provided a mirror to his soul, reflecting his greatest artistic interests and influences”. His interests related to the arts and crafts movement are demonstrated by the simplicity yet beauty of The Strawberry Thief design .Its purposefulness and handcrafted quality add to the idea of rejecting mechanization and the idea of making products to better society .The repetition of patterns are also common in Morris’ works as it creates a relaxed feeling and environment that he wanted to introduce in the homes of many .The stylized technique used was a way for Morris to express a feeling of class and lavishness without making the design overly decorative or