Do William Morris' ideas, ideals, and influences in arts and crafts Essay

Do William Morris' ideas, ideals, and influences in arts and crafts have any relevance today - Essay Example The real origins of Victorian art revival is believed to have started in the late eighteenth century and when Morris came to the scene, the revival was already in motion and he was not the originator of it. In the post-Napoleonic period, there was unrest in the European air and the younger people lived in expectation of another revolution. Things were fairly unsettled when the Victorian revival was initiated. Morris wrote The Defence of Guinevere and other poems while painting frescoes for the Oxford Union. The pre-Raphaelite group and their company, Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. brought revolution in designs, carpets, wall papers, furniture, tapestries etc. there was a complete revolution in public taste. Morris also wrote prose like the Life and Death of Jason, The Earthly Paradise, Volksunga Saga, political writings like Death Song, Chants for Socialists, The Pilgrims of Hope, Dream of John Ball, News from Nowhere. Later, he was more dedicated to Socialism and wrote Socialism, its growth and outcome, Manifesto of English Socialists, The Wood beyond the World, Well at the World’s End. â€Å"Beauty, which is what is meant by art, using the word in its widest sense, is, I contend, no mere accident to human life, which people can take or leave as they choose, but a positive necessity of life† said William Morris, The Beauty of Life, 1880 Considered to be the most creative artist Britain had ever produced he pervaded all the fields including weaving, embroidering, dyeing, calligraphy, translating, preserving architecture and even working as a businessman. His legacy has lived on after his death and his protà ©gà © Henry Dearle carried on his work influencing artists and designers with Morris’s ideals. Morris was supposed to have expressed the fear that his work would not leave any future impact. It was not so and has proved many times that the art and craft induced by Morris