William Morris

    As a person who loves textiles and fashion I always look up to William Morris' designs for inspiration. His designs are so unique and contain so much details that I think they can be effective in every style and movement in art. William Morris lived in the 19th century and was skilled in a wide range of arts and crafts but is mostly known for his textile and wallpaper designs. He was a member of the Pre- Raphaelites and the Art & Crafts movement. He had his own unique style and his works can be very easily recognised.

    On top we can see two of his designs. The one on the left is named 'Tulip and Willow' and the other one 'Windrush'. Like most of his designs they are both drawn with pencils and water colours. As we can see, they are similar and have the same theme, this was his style. They are very organic and classic, they have very vibrant and rich colours and each leaf and flower is very detailed. He always named his designs after the flowers they depicted. In all his art work, Morris was inspired from his knowledge of styles and mostly from nature. His designs were a bit feminine and all the woman at his time loved wearing his prints.

    While the Industrial Revolution strengthened the British Empire, William Morris was keenly aware of its drawbacks. He was widely aware that from their childhood, people were going to work and produce repetitive stuff with lack of creation and design. He was against all this and he worked hard to continue to produce designs by hand where each and every product was unique and different. 

    Look at this room put together with the wallpaper and textile prints of William Morris. The designs themselves fit so well together without being too much because of the related theme and same tones of  neutral colours. Together the designs communicate a sense of harmony and agreement. With their colours and design they make the room so cosy and warm. The flow designs of the leaves are vibrant and convey a feeling of movement. Personally, I like the print of carpet mostly because of its strength in colour and also because though the print is big, it is not so intense. 

Some more of his designs:

                                                        Name of design: African Marigold

Name of Deisgn: Trellis

    William Morris left a huge impact in design for every one. Its incredible how easily he made it seem that natural forms  found outdoors can be used to decorate the inside our homes. He was a big influence in the 20th century mostly in decoration of churches and houses and his designs are still commercially available as wallpaper and textiles. The movement 'The Vienna Secession' that took place in the late 19th cenury was influenced a lot by Morris. Look at the top of the building in the picture in the bottom. The leaves and the shapes are very much similar to what William Morris would have designed. They have the same shape and pattern. It also has a lot of repetition similarities, just like all his designs. This building is in Vienna and was designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich in the 1897.

Bibliography:

Pictures-

2 September 2009 http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timsidford/6722101185/in/gallery-47071837@N02-72157628883042805/

Information-

June 2010 http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris.html

All searched on the- Sun 13th Oct 2013