Work William Morris

1 work

1.1 literature
1.2 textile design
1.3 book illustration , design

work
literature

william morris prolific writer of poetry, fiction, essays, , translations of ancient , medieval texts. first poems published when 24 years old, , polishing final novel, sundering flood, @ time of death. daughter may s edition of morris s collected works (1910–1915) runs 24 volumes, , 2 more published in 1936.

morris began publishing poetry , short stories in 1856 through oxford , cambridge magazine founded friends , financed while @ university. first volume, defence of guenevere , other poems (1858), first book of pre-raphaelite poetry published. dark poems, set in sombre world of violence, coolly received critics, , discouraged publishing more number of years. haystack in floods , 1 of poems in collection, 1 of better-known poems. grimly realistic piece set during hundred years war in doomed lovers jehane , robert have last parting in convincingly portrayed rain-swept countryside. 1 minor poem masters in hall (1860), christmas carol written old french tune. christmas-themed poem snow in street , adapted land east of sun , west of moon in earthly paradise.

morris met eiríkr magnússon in 1868, , began learn icelandic language him. morris published translations of saga of gunnlaug worm-tongue , grettis saga in 1869, , story of volsungs , niblungs in 1870. additional volume published under title of 3 northern love stories in 1873.

in last 9 years of life, morris wrote series of imaginative fictions referred prose romances . these novels – including wood beyond world , @ world s end – have been credited important milestones in history of fantasy fiction, because, while other writers wrote of foreign lands, or of dream worlds, or future (as morris did in news nowhere), morris s works first set in entirely invented fantasy world. these attempts revive genre of medieval romance, , written in imitation of medieval prose. morris s prose style in these novels has been praised edward james, described them among lyrical , enchanting fantasies in english language.

on other hand, l. sprague de camp considered morris s fantasies not wholly successful, partly because morris eschewed many literary techniques later eras. in particular, de camp argued plots of novels heavily driven coincidence; while many things happened in romances, novels still weakened dependence on it. nevertheless, large subgenres of field of fantasy have sprung romance genre, indirectly, through writers imitation of william morris.

early fantasy writers lord dunsany, e. r. eddison , james branch cabell familiar morris s romances. wood beyond world considered have heavily influenced c. s. lewis narnia series, while j. r. r. tolkien inspired morris s reconstructions of germanic life in house of wolfings , roots of mountains. young tolkien attempted retelling of story of kullervo kalevala in style of house of wolfings; tolkien considered of literary work have been inspired reading of morris, suggesting unable better morris s work; names of characters such gandolf , horse silverfax appear in @ world s end.

sir henry newbolt s medieval allegorical novel, aladore, influenced morris s fantasies. james joyce drew inspiration work.

textile design









a wooden pattern textile printing william morris s company

during lifetime, morris produced items in range of crafts, furnishing, including on 600 designs wall-paper, textiles, , embroideries, on 150 stained glass windows, 3 typefaces, , around 650 borders , ornamentations kelmscott press. emphasised idea design , production of item should not divorced 1 another, , possible creating items should designer-craftsmen, thereby both designing , manufacturing goods. in field of textile design, morris revived number of dead techniques, , insisted on use of quality raw materials, natural dyes, , hand processing. observed natural world first hand gain basis designs, , insisted on learning techniques of production prior producing design.

mackail asserted morris became manufacturer not because wished make money, because wished make things manufactured. morris & co. s designs fashionable among britain s upper , middle-classes, biographer fiona maccarthy asserting had become safe choice of intellectual classes, exercise in political correctitude. company s unique selling point range of different items produced, ethos of artistic control on production emphasised.

it of morris s preference medieval textiles formed – or crystallised – during brief apprenticeship g. e. street. street had co-written book on ecclesiastical embroidery in 1848, , staunch advocate of abandoning faddish woolen work on canvas in favour of more expressive embroidery techniques based on opus anglicanum, surface embroidery technique popular in medieval england.

he fond of hand knotted persian carpets , advised south kensington museum in acquisition of fine kerman carpets.

morris taught himself embroidery, working wool on frame custom-built old example. once had mastered technique trained wife jane, sister bessie burden , others execute designs specifications. when embroideries of kinds offered through morris, marshall, faulkner & co. catalogues, church embroidery became , remained important line of business successor companies twentieth century. 1870s, firm offering both embroidery patterns , finished works. following in street s footsteps, morris became active in growing movement return originality , mastery of technique embroidery, , 1 of first designers associated royal school of art needlework aim restore ornamental needlework secular purposes high place once held among decorative arts.

morris took practical art of dyeing necessary adjunct of manufacturing business. spent of time @ staffordshire dye works mastering processes of art , making experiments in revival of old or discovery of new methods. 1 result of these experiments reinstate indigo dyeing practical industry , renew use of vegetable dyes, such red derived madder, had been driven out of use anilines. dyeing of wools, silks, , cottons necessary preliminary had @ heart, production of woven , printed fabrics of highest excellence; , period of incessant work @ dye-vat (1875–76) followed period during absorbed in production of textiles (1877–78), , more in revival of carpet-weaving fine art.

morris s patterns woven textiles, of machine made under ordinary commercial conditions, included intricate double-woven furnishing fabrics in 2 sets of warps , wefts interlinked create complex gradations of colour , texture. morris long dreamed of weaving tapestries in medieval manner, called noblest of weaving arts. in september 1879 finished first solo effort, small piece called cabbage , vine .

book illustration , design

nineteenth , twentieth century avant-garde artistic movements took interest in typographical arts, enriching book design , illustration. in late nineteenth century, william morris founded arts , crafts movement, emphasized value of traditional craft skills seemed disappearing in mass industrial age. designs, work of pre-raphaelite painters whom associated, referred medieval motifs. in 1891 founded kelmscott press, time closed in 1898 had produced on fifty works using traditional printing methods, hand-driven press , hand-made paper. included masterpiece, edition of works of geoffrey chaucer illustrations edward burne-jones. morris invented 3 distinctive typefaces - golden, troy, , chaucer, text being framed intricate floral borders similar illuminated medieval manuscripts. work inspired many small private presses in following century.

morris’s aesthetic , social values became leading force in arts , crafts movement. kelmscott press influenced of fine press movement in england , united states during late nineteenth , twentieth centuries. brought need books aesthetic objects words attention of reading , publishing worlds.

at kelmscott press perfection of book-making under constant supervision , practical assistance. ambition produce perfect work restore beauty of illuminated lettering, richness of gilding , grace of binding used make volume treasure of king. efforts directed towards giving world @ least 1 book exceeded had ever appeared. morris designed type after best examples of printers, called “golden type” copied after jenson, parautz, coburger , others. in mind, morris took equal care on choice of paper adapted subject same care governed selection of material binding. result, few wealthy purchase lavish works, due how intrinsic work was. however, realized creating works in manner of middle ages difficult in profit-grinding society.