Leading “The Simple Life”: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain, 1880–1910

October 6, 1999–August 1, 2000
The Wolfsonian–FIU @ 1001 Washington Avenue

“Art is the expression of man’s pleasure in labour” declared William Morris, a nineteenth-century designer and reformer. He and the other leaders of the Arts and Crafts movement rebelled against the ills of the Industrial Revolution, which was seen to have exploited workers, blighted the countryside, and produced poorly made goods. Arts and Crafts adherents were convinced that mechanization had caused the degradation of work, reducing craftspeople to anonymous laborers mindlessly repeating the same unfulfilling tasks. These evils could be overcome by a return to “the simple life,” a utopian vision of a rural environment where the craftsperson could control the creative process from design through execution.

Leading "The Simple Life" explored the goals of the Arts and Crafts movement: the revival of hand craftsmanship, the creation of more satisfying working conditions, the elevation of the decorative arts to the status of fine arts, and the promotion of simple, uncluttered interiors through design unity. The movement’s adherents, A.W.N. Pugin and John Ruskin in addition to Morris, passionately believed that objects created under these circumstances were morally superior, and had the power to improve people’s lives—a conviction that still profoundly influences the way we judge good design today.