The Beauty of Life: William Morris and the Art of Design (Paperback)

~ Diane Waggoner (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"Beauty, which is what is meant by art...is no mere accident to human life, which people can take or leave as they choose, but a positive necessity of life."—William Morris

William Morris, the leader of the British Arts and Crafts movement, was a man of tremendous energies, his accomplishments astonishing in their range and depth. He became successively a poet, embroiderer, pattern designer, calligrapher, dyer, weaver, translator, architectural preservationist, socialist, and book publisher and printer. As the head of the internationally successful Morris & Company, he devoted himself to the decorative arts.

Drawing upon The Huntington's superb holdings—the largest collection of Morris material in North America—this book examines the life and work of the designer and of Morris & Company. It contains detailed studies of Morris's stained glass, interior decoration designs, and book publishing ventures, as well as an essay on his successor at Morris & Company, J. H. Dearle. The book also explores the design legacy of Morris and the firm in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries on both sides of the Atlantic.

Diane Waggoner, curator of the exhibition at The Huntington, is a specialist in nineteenth-century art and has written about the photography of Lewis Carroll. The contributors include Pat Kirkham, Professor of Design History at the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture; Gillian Naylor, professor emerita at the Royal College of Art and an expert on the Arts and Crafts movement; and Edward R. Bosley, director of the Gamble House in Pasadena, California. 120 illustrations, 80 in color.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson (November 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500284342
• ISBN-13: 978-0500284346
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,059,433 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A joy to simply page through and savor, December 7, 2003

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Painstakingly compiled and expertly edited by Diane Waggoner (Andrew W. Mellon foundation Curatorial Fellow in the Art Collections at The Huntington), The Beauty Of Life: William Morris & The Art Of Design is specifically devoted to the decorative artwork of William Morris, an influential leader of the British Arts and Crafts movement. Contemplative and informative essays by Pat Kirkham, Gillian Naylor, and Edward R. Bosley are added to those of Diane Waggoner and concern William Morris' diverse works of art (including his stained glass and interior decoration designs). These essays are enhanced with eye-catching, full color photographs. A joy to simply page through and savor, and presented with a deep respect for artistic traditions stretching back to medieval times and beyond, The Beauty Of Life is a superbly presented and heartily endorsed addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Art History collections.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entree to the life and works of William Morris, August 6, 2009

By	Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

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I was scarcely aware of William Morris until recently. This book has been a valuable entree to his life and work for me. Diane Waggoner edited this volume, which features chapters written by Pat Kirkham, Waggoner, Gilliam Naylor, and Edward Bosley.

What makes this book intriguing to me is the various facets of Morris' life that are covered--from "The Firm" (Morris & Company) to stained glass to books to decoration of houses to his publishing company to his politics. I am especially intrigued by his interest in atypical political activists such as Peter Kropotkin.

He counted among his friends some of the leading Pre-Raphaelites and other ambitious young men of the era, including Ford Madox Brown, Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Edward Burne-Jones, Philip Webb, and so on. In the Introduction, Waggoner notes the value of the collection of Morris' works at the Huntington Museum. Kirkham's chapter, "William Morris: A Life in Design" begins with an apposite quotation from Morris (Page 20): "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." Kirkham notes the breath of his work (Page 21): "One of the most famous figures of his day, [Morris[ was a poet, a novelist, translator, social activist, environmentalist, entrepreneur and designer of a wide range of objects, including embroidery, tapestry, furniture, carpets, stained glass, tiles, textiles, wallpaper, books and type."

Indeed, one of the glories of this book is the rich set of examples of his art and craft. Included are photos of his stained glass, his embroidery, his books, and so on. The luscious visual portrayal of his artifacts makes this a fine introduction to his work. one doesn't need to visualize his works in one's mind--they are there to see and appreciate and savor. Important, too, of course, is his philosophical perspective on these products.

Chapter by chapter, one gets a sense of the wide variety of his work. While Morris was not particularly interested in the United States (according to Bosley's chapter), the U. S. proved receptive to many of Morris' ideas. The chapter focusing on the U. S. notes that some movements appear to have been in the spirit of Morris, including the Shakers (I'm not so sure, but I'm not an expert!). For example, Trinity Church in Copley Square in Boston is noted as influenced by the ideas of Morris (including the installation of stained glass designed by Burne-Jones for Morris & Company).

At any rate, I found this a fascinating volume, as I became much better acquainted with the work and philosophy of William Morris.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beauty of Life: William Morris and the Art of Design, May 9, 2008

By	Aneesah Mcnamee "aneesah" (Adrian, Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Beautiful presentation of the work of William Morris - genius designer and illustrator of the Arts and Crafts movement. Beautiful illustrations and reproductions of his work - a great book for any student and artist as well as a graphic designer that has an appreciation for history and beauty.