The arts and crafts movement

The arts and crafts movement

Question:
In your opinion, how would adopting a socially-based philosophy (e.g. “Change the way people
work” in the Arts & Crafts movement, “Humanism” in Renaissance/Classic eras, etc.) sustain an
artistic style? What lesson(s) should we as designers learn from the Arts and Crafts Movement?
Example Answer:
In my opinion, art has been used in numerous ways. Art has started to involve political views and
became more expressive. Art also is made to fit many people’s styles. One style that someone
might like, might not impress another person. That’s the beauty of art. Art uses lines, shapes,
and other elements and principles to express its meaning. In the arts and crafts movement,
having that hand made aspect helps deliver its message. Since art is elaborative and expressive,

it was important to have that handmade element in which the artists are free to express their
messages. Retrieving from nature, and having that simplistic touch really showed the
movement’s beauty and allowed them to be very creative. The outcomes in return were full of
passion, and life. Almost no two outcomes were the same which made each piece really special
and unique. This helped support the movement’s beliefs and encourage the people to support
the movement and keep an open mind. The same thing applies to other eras/movements. Each
era/ movement is based on a certain philosophy that drives it. Therefore, having a philosophy
behind the movement is really important to establish its beliefs and would help push the
movement.
Many lessons can be learned from the Arts and Crafts movement. Among them is to learn to
appreciate the beauty in handmade objects. Each piece has a story behind it. Also, it makes
every piece unique and valuable by knowing that no two pieces are the same. Having a style that
takes its inspiration from nature is very calming and beautiful. The colors, textures, motifs, and
patterns are all simplistic and minimalistic.
To conclude, it is important for designers to know that having different outcomes is beautiful and
helps the field to evolve.