William Morris And His Designing Ideas

William Morris was one of the outstanding artists of the nineteenth century and has been referred to as the single most important figure in the British textile industry. He is recognized as one of the most significant cultural figures of the Victorian period of Britain. Although he was known for his success as a poet, Morris' legacy was primarily for his innovations in the processes and designs of wallpapers and fabrics. Morris was born in Essex to an upper middle class family. Morris' inspiration in all of his works focused on the appreciation of the beauty of the craftsmanship. He believed that work that could not be done with pleasure was worth doing. In 1856, Morris entered Exeter College in Oxford where he met and formed a close friendship with a group known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. They included English painters, poets and art critics whose taste was for the more elaborate and detailed works in art, poetry and compositions. The Brotherhood included Millais, Rossetti and many other famous and influential artists. The Pre-Raphaelites rejected classical painting, which they considered predictable and stale. Instead, they produced art characterized by large amounts of detail, intense color and complex composition. Most of Morris' designs used organic, natural forms. This is especially true of his wallpaper and textile designs. His designs had clear repeating patters which were based on imaginative organic shapes without straight lines. They were filled with clear color schemes, especially muted greens and blues.

William Morris finished his degree and briefly worked as an architect before deciding to become an artist instead. Morris' designed and constructed a home in Ken for his growing family and friends. He called it Red House for its red bricks and tiles. Influenced by contemporary Neo-Gothic architecture, this unique L-shape home rejected architectural norms of the time period. It took a year to complete and cost 4,000 English pounds. Morris described it as very medieval in spirit. The building is presently owned by the National Trust and is open to visitors to tour. He took much of his inspiration from nature. By the time he went to the university in 1848, Morris had already gained an incredible knowledge of British plants, trees and birds. He attended Marlborough College where he continued his studies of nature, the Classics and the Middle Ages, but he also became interested in architecture, especially Gothic architecture. One of his most famous wallpaper patters, which is still popular today, is called Acanthus, which is Greek for ornament. It is a pattern inspired by Mediterranean flora featured in Greek architecture and sculptures. 

In 1861, he formed the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., Manufacturers and Decorators. The firm aimed to bring art to the common man and elevate decoration and interior design to the level of a fine art. The products created included furniture, architectural carving, metalwork, stained glass windows and murals. They hoped to provide fine art and affordability for people of all economic levels. By the mid nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution had transformed Britain. Many household goods were now mass produced in factories, rather than made by craftsmen. Morris felt that this led to dull and soulless objects. He wanted to revive beauty in the home life and restore dignity of art in ordinary household decoration. The firm employed boys from the Industrial home for Destitute Boys of London and trained them as apprentices. His business became popular among average people and earned a great deal of press attention and awards, but also received criticism from those who wanted interior design to be only for the elite or rich.

After 1862, Morris gave up painting and focused his energies on designing wallpaper patterns which were produced by Jeffrey & Co. Morris moved from his country home to the city to be closer to his work as a designer. Morris had a deep interest in the art and culture of the Middle Ages. He attempted to revive medieval art forms such as manuscript illumination and tapestry weaving. Morris' design company decorated many churches and was involved in the Gothic Revival that imitated medieval church architecture and decoration, including the famous St. James Palace. His company was successful, but it was getting more commissions from aristocrats, wealthy industrialists and entrepreneurs, which caused a personal inner conflict for Morris who wanted to bring art to the common people. Also, there were changes in his home life and his firm's staff which created financial problems that Morris felt limited his creativity, and he started focusing on his personal artistic interests, especially poetry. Morris became interested in Norse mythology and began reading and translating Icelandic sagas. From 1865 to 1870, Morris worked on an epic poem The Earthly Paradise as a tribute to Chaucer which was made up of 24 stories set in the late fourteenth century and each was told by a different narrator. The tales were about a group of Norsemen who fled the Black Death by sailing away from Europe and discovered an a island where the natives honored the Greek gods. Morris left his wife and children behind in 1870 to make a trek to Iceland. He was sympathetic to the political cause of the Icelandic Independence movement. He made other return visits to the country which influenced his leftist political opinions.

In 1878, Morris bought out his partners at the design firm and focused on improving the processes involved in textile dyeing and later turned his attention to experimenting with silk weaving. He was also active in the causes of industrial pollution and conditions of poverty brought on by the rapid industrial growth. Morris founded the Society for the Ptroction of Ancient Buildings, which is now known at the National Trust. Morris was a leader of the Socialist movement in Britain, and in 1884, he helped set up the Socialist League. Morris established his own printing press firm in 1891, the Kelmscott Press. He purpose was to publish beautifully illustrated and typeset books. The Kelmscott Edition of Chaucer is said to be one of the finest books ever printed. He also used this firm to produce materials for his political affiliations. 

Morris believed that beauty, imagination and order were the essential components of a successful design. There should be nothing in a home that was neither useful or believed to be beautiful. Although near the end of his life, he was focused on his political activism with the socialism movement, Morris' company continued to produce stained glass windows for British landmarks. Morris' influence on Britain's artistic ommunity was recognized by his election to the Art Workers' Guild in 1888 and his election to the position of master in 1892. At the time of his death in 1896, Morris' poetry was known internationally and his company's products were found all over the world. Though he was best known during his lifetime as a poet, and author and an artist, Morris' designs are his legacy, which can be found in galleries and museums, and also which remain in production still today.