Week 3: Medievalism and the Gothic Critique of Modernity

Met Timeline Essays: Chinese Cloisonné; Japonisme; Landscape Painting in Chinese Art; The Pre-Raphaelites; Venice and the Islamic World 828-1797; Islamic Art and Culture: The Venetian Perspective; Commercial Exchange, Diplomacy, and Religious Difference between Venice and the Islamic world ; Europe and the Islamic World 1600-1800; (this and the Venetian material will help clarify the interest of nineteenth-century artists in Islamic culture); Symbolism

Other Resources: The Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool owns several Pre-raphaelite paintings, and features a good article with links to images on the movement itself. Search through the gallery's pages for other nineteenth-century artists we're studying as well.

I've tried to be consistent and bold the links to images for which you are responsible on exams. Most of the other links are for further information and a larger perspective on each artist and/or movement.

Part I: The PreRaphaelites and the Gothic Revival

The Gothic Revival in Architecture

Horace Walpole, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, England 1749-77

The Palace of Westminster (British Parliament)

Turner, Ruskin, and the PreRaphaelite Brotherhood

The "grandfather" of the Arts and Crafts Movement, and the inspiration for the Preraphelite Brotherhood, was John Ruskin, who was then famous for his defense of J. M. W. Turner (more on Turner can be found on lists for both weeks one and two, and the Tate's images from its Turner Gallery), for his assessment of modern art in Modern Painters, and for his paean to the Gothic architectural style in The Stones of Venice--especially its chapter on "The Nature of Gothic." (The link is to Google Books and a reprint of an important segment of the essay, pp. 447-449). He was also an accomplished watercolorist and social activist.

Self Portrait (watercolor) and a photograph by Elliot & Fry (1873)

Ruskin also advocated the Gothic Revival, but not as a slavish re-enactement. Instead, he thought that the nobler sentiments involved (as expressed in "The Nature of Gothic") should be translated into modern form. His influence can best be seen in the style of the Oxford Museum of Natural History, on which he collaborated. See this article on the museum's architectural history for the full story (and more pictures).

Although opposed to many aspects of modern technology, Ruskin was an "early adopter" of photography as an historical tool and, potentially, as an art form.

Ruskin was the first British art critic to embrace the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, with its emphasis on the moral content of art. See the Tate Gallery's exhibition on Ruskin, Turner, and the Pre-Raphaelites, to augment the images I provide.

Ford Madox Brown (Artchive page; see the Artcyclopedia for museum holdings)

The Seeds and Fruits of English Poetry (1845-51)

Work (and detail; 1852-1863)

William Holman Hunt (biography from the Tate; Wikipedia also has a good article)

The Scapegoat 1854. The link is to the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool, which owns the painting. A better scan and a decent article is available at Wikipedia.

More Hunt from Artcyclopedia

John Everett Millais (the link is to the Lady Lever featured artist page; the Tate's catalogue of Millais's work begins here; it's 7 pages long)

John Ruskin 1854

Bubbles 1886 and the Pears Soap poster using Bubbles. See also John Everett Millais's Bubbles and the Commercialization of Art, a short article by Julia Kuehn for the Victorian Web.

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (the link is to the Tate Gallery's extensive collection of works by Burne-Jones). For more Burne-Jones and a biography, go to the CGFA online gallery.

The Golden Stairs 1872-1880 (the Tate link to this painting)

Spring (1869-70), Autumn (1869-70), Day (1870), Night (1870)

Pilgrim at the Gates of Idleness 1875-93 (see this at the DMA). If you're interested in seeing the rest of the series, go to the Victorian Web's article with an image of The Heart of the Rose, 1889 (linked to an article on the Victorian Web), and Love and the Pilgrim (or Love Leading the Pilgrim) 1896-7 (Tate Museum).

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Seed of David (Triptych) 1858-64

La Pia de' Tolommei 1868-80 (Spencer Museum of Art)

Proserpine 1874

Beata Beatrix 1864-1870. The Art Institute of Chicago's version is here; note the framing. A decent student essay about the painting is available at the Victorian Web, along with a good scan.

Part II: Foundations of the Arts and Crafts Movement: William Morris and Morris & Company

William Morris and His Circle at the University of Texas at Austin

Like many of the movements we've been studying, the Arts and Crafts Movement represents a direct response in opposition to prevailing tastes. Its roots can be seen in Morris's early experience with what was meant to showcase the power, prestige, and aesthetic accomplshments of Britain in the industrial age: The Great Exhibition.

The Great Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations is a comprehensive site from the Spencer Research Library of the University of Kansas. A page on various aspects of the Great Exhibition from the Victoria and Albert Museum; the Victorian Web's page on the Crystal Palace. Just in case you think the American propensity to imitate the Brits is a new phenomenon, see this image of the New York version of the Crystal Palace from 1853.

In opposition to the overly-ornamented goods displayed during the exhibition, William Morris founded The Firm in 1861 in order to produce more honest and better made goods by genuine craftesmen. See QDesign's article, "The Arts and Crafts Movement 1851-1914: A Return to Naturalism and Craftsmanship" for a short history and a good explanation of the movement's philosophy.

Photo of William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones (platinum print) from the Victoria and Albert Museum collections. Photos of Morris and the Watts portrait are available on the Wikimedia Commons page.

Images of Jane (Burden) Morris: by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (see Proserpine, above), by Evelyn de Morgan; a photograph. Here's an interesting conjunction between a photograph (by John Parsons) and a pastel by Rossetti.

William Morris, La Belle Iseult or Guinevere--the painting for which Jane Burden posed, and of which he was purported to have said, "I cannot paint you, but I love you."

Red House, Bexleyheath, Kent 1860 designed by Philip Webb for William Morris and Jane Burden. Images of Red House today. See also this recent article in the Guardian Unlimited on Red House: "Garden of Earthly Delights." For readers, here is an article from the Guardian Unlimited that discusses Pugin's influence on the design of Red House: "House Rules" by Jonathan Glancey. A rather interesting 8-minute lecture (QuickTime) on the plans for Red House is available through the V&A. More videos are available through this link.

Three Morris & Co. wallpaper designs: Acanthus Leaf; Chrysanthemum; Willow Bough.

The Green Dining Room, Victoria and Albert Museum (a view of the tile panel and door frame)

Printing and Typography: Morris and the Kelmscott Press

An exhibit from the University of Glasgow, Graphic Design and Visual Culture in Europe 1890-1945: Private Press Books in Special Collections, features images of a number of publications by the press.

The first page of Morris's illumination of the Odes of Horace 1876 (a photo of Michael Palin holding the book itself can be seen here). Morris's illuminated version of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (1872). Burne-Jones and Morris worked together on both.

A page of experimental initials by Morris (n. d., but associated with his poem, Love Is Enough, 1872).

William Morris, The Water of The Wondrous Isles 1897.

The British Library's page on the Kelmscott Chaucer (illustrated by Burne-Jones; borders and typograpy designed by Morris). The image I showed is now available from the University of Delaware Library.

William Morris fonts and borders (from Fontcraft's Scriptorium); P22's Morris fonts (Troy and Golden)

Stained Glass: Neil Ralley's Stained Glass Photography pages on Morris contains twelve pages of excellent images of Morris & Co. glass. The Baptism of Christ window by Burne Jones is on page 1.

William Morris's Musical Angel (c. 1865) from St. James's Church in Stavely, Cumbria (UK) is on page 2. The window is usually attributed to Burne Jones, but is probably really Morris's.

Part III: The Next Generation: Morris's Heirs

A. H. Mackmurdo and the Century Guild: Mahogany dining chair, 1883 (or 1882); Title page from Wren's City Churches,1883 (second image on page).

C. F. A. Voysey: Owl carpet, wool 1898; Whoot and Saladin wallpapers. Here is a list of Arts & Crafts designs available through Burrows (many of which are reproductions of works by Voysey, Morris, and others). The existence of companies like Burrows, Charles Rupert, etc. offer testimony to the continuing relevance of the Arts and Crafts movement. More Voysey wallpapers (including "Whoot" and a different colorway of "The Saladin" from Arts & Crafts Home). "Time and Tide Wait For No Man" (detail of Voysey Clock) 1896.

Charles Robert Ashbee: Necklace, 1901-02, Silver loop-handled bowl, 1905, and Glass decanter with silver mount, 1904-05, Guild of Handicraft.

Note: the Arts and Crafts Movement deserves its own course; the above represent just a few of those whose imact we're still feeling today.

Part IV: The Arts and Crafts Movement in America

Met Timeline: The Arts and Crafts Movement in America; Candace Wheeler; Industrialism and Conflict in America: 1840-1875;

Elbert Hubbard and the Roycroft Press

Roycroft Links (most of the images below are linked to the first site, Links to pages of Roycroft books)

Pages from Little Journeys to the Homes of Ruskin and Turner, 1895

The Philistine poster, designed by Dwight Ripley Colin in 1895.

Dard Hunter. The link is to the Dard Hunter Studios page, which is full of information and images.

Stained glass window Hunter designed for a Vienna restaurant, 1908 (full window is the lower left image on page)

First Page of Primitive Papermaking (1927), from The Dard Hunter Book Collection at the University of Utah. This is another example of the stunning possibilities of the internet. Click on "Browse," go down to the last book on the page and click on it. Then go to "Part 1" and click on the + sign; then click on UUM_Prim_Part I for the page I showed in class. Better yet, browse through the whole collection.

See this page for his designs for books (not shown in class, but highly recommended). P22 includes a Dard Hunter font in its Arts and Crafts family.

Greene and Greene (Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene). Visit the Greene & Greene Virtual Archives for information and images. A new discovery: architectural drawings of the Gamble House from the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University. The following two houses are good examples of what will come to be called Gesamptkunstwerke in Vienna. The 1985 film, Back to the Future featured exterior shots of the Gamble House, and Interior shots of the Blacker House as sets for Dr. Brown's home.

The Gamble House by Greene & Greene, designed in 1908; interior photos.

The Blacker House, also by Greene & Greene, 1907. The entry doors are now a featured item in the Dallas Museum of Art's decorative arts collection. The removal of these doors and other architectural and decorative features of this house caused a furor among art lovers, and helped to spark preservation efforts around the country.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Windows, Avery Coonley Playhouse or theater, 1912; an architectural drawing of the playhouse (from the Library of Congress exhibit on The Genius of Frank Lloyd Wright).

Imperial Hotel, Tokyo 1912-1923 (Demolished in 1968); Place setting, dinnerware for the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo 1922; Side chair for the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo c. 1920. There's a nice shot of a partially rebuilt section of the Hotel at this blog (scroll down). See also the Great Buildings Online page, and a YouTube video on the reconstructed entrance and main lobby. Other videos of Wright's buildings are featured on the same page.

Wright and typography: P22 has several Wright fonts, including Eaglefeather (click on his name for type samples).

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Additional Resources


Gothic Revival

Turner Whistler Monet, at the Tate Gallery in London. A 2005 exhibit that explores the relationship between Turner and the impressionists.

John Ruskin, William Morris, and the Gothic Revival from the Electronic Labyrinth.

The Gothic Revival: Introduction
(Victorian Web)

Augustus Northmore Welby Pugin was largely responsible for the Gothic Revival in Great Britain, and, along with John Ruskin and Thomas Carlyle, proved to be an early inspiration for the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Augustus Welby Pugin and the Gothic Revival (Victorian Web)

The Great Buildings Online page on the Palaces of Westminster, designed by Pugin and Sir Charles Barry.

History of Stained Glass--in case you're interested in what all the fuss was about.

The Stained Glass Museum has examples from early to recent, and a nice description of what's involved. Click on the "brief history" link at the top left.

Gothic Revival in America

In case you wonder what this has to do with anything, go downtown and take a look at the old Dallas County Courthouse (well . . . it's Romanesque Revival). This page on The Gothic Revival in Buffalo New York is chock full of information, images, and a glossary of terms.

Gothic Revival Architecture in America, from the Digital Archive of American Architecture. It also compares American with European examples.

Gravely Gorgeous: Gargoyles, Grotesques, and the Nineteenth-Century Imagination. This is an extensive and nicely designed page from the Cornell University Library. It includes a gallery of images.

What appears to be a collaborative college paper, "Gothic Revival: England, America" is an interesting look at some examples--including two in Texas.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

The Pre-Raphaelites (Art Millennium); The Preraphaelites (Met); The Pre-Raphaelites, An Overview from the Victorian Web (a scholarly clearinghouse for information about the Victorian era, including articles on many of the people we'll be looking at for the next three weeks).

The Preraphaelite Critic: an academic page that features criticism by contemporaries of the Preraphaelites, plus a nice selection of their works. And here is a list of links from the Pre-Raphaelite Society.

Arthurian Legends: Pre-Raphaelite Visions (Art Millennium)

Links to Pre-Raphaelite Websites (I haven't checked this thoroughly, but there seem to be a lot of links, and the page gives one the sense of how influential the Brotherhood was.)

Here is a collection of Indecent Images from a personal page devoted to artistic freedom on the web. He labels his selections Pre-raphaelite, but many are not really members of the Brotherhood; rather, they paint in a similar style but without the Brotherhood's convictions.

The Rossetti Archive includes visual works, writings, and commentary.

Blogs of Interest: The Preraphaelite Sisterhood; The Earthly Paradise; LizzieSiddal.com. All have links to other related topic blogs.

The Arts & Crafts Movement

The socio-economic background of the Arts and Crafts Movement is complex, but you can get an idea of the range of problems here: Victorian Social History, An Overview. To see what Morris and his companions objected to about Victorian art and design, take a look at this page on the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace. If the building looks familiar, it's because our own InfoMart was modelled after it. Although Morris was still quite young when the exhibition opened, he refused to accompany his mother into the hall. Ultimately his observation that the manufactured goods produced in England were, for the most part, "shoddy" led to the founding of the Arts and Crafts Movement. For more information on the contents of the exhibit, see the following:

McGill University's archived project on the Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace (Great Buildings Online)
The best online source of information on William Morris and his connection with the Arts and Crafts Movement is the William Morris Society.

The William Morris pages on the Victorian Web.

William Morris (Artcyclopedia)

Arts and Crafts Museum

New (via the Morris Society page, above): The Huntington Library is currently featuring an exhibit called The Beauty of Life: William Morris and the Art of Design. The page contains some nice images and solid information.

Another new exhibit from the Huntington Library: William Morris: Creating the Useful and the Beautiful.

Chronology of the Arts and Crafts Movement (Victorian Web) and the Victorian Web page on William Morris.

Nineteenth Century Art: A New Reality: a series of pages (with a few glitches, including annoying loops--use your back button's "history" list to get out) on Pre-Raphaelites, Impressionists, and other nineteenth-century movements, with sources that include the artists' own views.

Founders of the Arts and Crafts Movement John Burrows & Co. is a modern firm which deals exclusively with goods inspired by Arts and Crafts sensibilities, including licensed reproductions of objects designed by Morris & Co. This site provides a number of essays which articulate the principles of the movement.

The Burrows & Co. link to this site is "broken" but this one works. To understand why Morris found it necessary to found his own printing company, read this "Note on His Aims in Founding the Kelmscott Press."

Examples of books from the press, typography, Morris's calligraphic works, and samples of furniture, tile, stained glass, etc. designs can be seen on this page from the William Morris Society page: Designs by William Morris.

New: a page from the University of British Columbia on William Morris and the Kelmscott Press and another page with remarks on paper: William Morris on the Subject of Paper.

Graphic Design and Visual Culture in Europe 1890-1945, Private Press Books in Special Collections: Kelmscott Press. This is a brand-new find from the University of Glasgow. It features several pages from Kelmscott editions, in lovely, clear scans.

To get an idea of the scope of Morris's and Ruskin's influence in the United States, see The Noble Craftsmen We Promote: The Arts and Crafts Movement in the American Midwest. The Roycrofters are probably the best-known of the various groups that sprang up in the United States in response to the Movement.

 Dard Hunter was one of the most influential Americans involved in the Arts & Crafts movement. In addition to Dard Hunter Studios' page, visit Friends of Dard Hunter for more articles, and see this short biographical essay, Dard Hunter: Roycroft Designer. P22, the font foundry, offers some Dard Hunter fonts. The pages devoted to the Gomez Mill House, where Hunter lived for seven years, include several articles on Dard Hunter, papermaking, etc.

Although he did not see his work as owing anything to the Arts and Crafts Movement, Frank Lloyd Wright's designs and architecture reflect a sensibility grounded in the aesthetics and philosophy of the period. Where Wright really departs from Morris and his heirs is in his love of the machine, as he explains in his essay, "The Art and Craft of the Machine."

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts exhibit on Modernism includes many of the artists and movements from this point on.