HU 187 Unit #9: Design

William Morris (The Woodpecker)

Arts and Crafts Movement Morris and Company Influenced by Ruskin and Pugin

A.W.N. Pugin [Architect]

Architect Criticized the Crystal Palace The esteemed architect A.W.N. Pugin (designer of the Houses of Parliament in London) called it the "glass monster" because it was not considered to be a work of aesthetically-pleasing architecture.

Paul T. Frankl (SkyScraper Bookcase 1925-1930)

Art Deco Louis Süe and Andre Mare created a cabinet made from the luxurious materials of inlaid mother-of-pearl, ebony, abalone and silver. The cabinet is linked to the design to Art Nouveau through the value of the luxurious materials; however, the piece is actually an elaborate interpretation of Art Deco based in Art Nouveau. The sleek lines and the use of rare ebony was part of the trend towards Art Deco.

"Cabinet" by Louis Sue and Andre Mare

Art Deco Art Nouveau Louis Süe and Andre Mare created a cabinet made from the luxurious materials of inlaid mother-of-pearl, ebony, abalone and silver. The cabinet is linked to the design to Art Nouveau through the value of the luxurious materials; however, the piece is actually an elaborate interpretation of Art Deco based in Art Nouveau. The sleek lines and the use of rare ebony was part of the trend towards Art Deco.

Le Corbusie (Pavilion de L'Espirit Nouveaue, 1925)

Art Deco..? Use of modern materials Modern style Simplistic Machine-made/could be mass-produced At the 1925 Paris Exposition, the French architect Le Corbusier's Pavilion de L'Espirit Nouveau stood out in stark contrast to the other structures. Le Corbusier's design stood out because his pavilion was made of concrete, steel and glass. The promoters of the exhibition were horrified by his design. Le Corbusier believed that the decorative arts represented a form of art that was a "dying thing." His starkly-designed pavilion marks a point between the old and the new. Le Corbusier contended that the expensive, handcrafted objects in other pavilions were antiques in a contemporary world - and the modern world would be dominated by the machine. Le Corbusier believed that "houses were machines for living."

Gerrit Rietveld [Architect and Designed furniture] (Red and Blue Chair, 1918)

Avante Garde De Stijl (Piet Mondrian) Further exploration of this avant garde style can be seen in the work of Gerrit Rietveld. Rietveld uses the simplified palette of primary colors, black, and white, and the modern materials and forms of the De Stijl painter Piet Mondrian. Rietveld was an architect and designed furniture for those spaces.

Frank Lloyd Wright [Architect, designer] (Table Lamp, 1903)

Combined geometric with organic design The architect Frank Lloyd Wright also designed furniture, stained glass windows, and other works to complement his Prairie Houses and other designs.

Marcel Breuer [Artist, DEsigned an Armchair for Walter Gropius]

Could be mass-produced He asked the artist Marcel Breuer to design furniture for the new Bauhaus school based on his armchair design that was inspired by a bicycle. Breuer's chair could be mass-produced from the materials ordinarily used to make a bicycle.

John Ruskin [writer, artist, and social reformer]

Critisized The Crystal Palace (Arts and Crafts Movement) Additional criticism came from the writer and social reformer, John Ruskin, who named The Crystal Palace the "cucumber frame." Ruskin also believed that manufacturing had gotten out of hand and that Great Britain should return to the methods of the Pre-industrial Gothic style and the creation of quality work and design. He believed that the art and architecture created prior to the industrial revolution was more aesthetically pleasing. Ruskin, and others, believed that decorative materials were more beautiful when they were made by hand (or to be more specific, by human hands).

Piet Mondrian (Composition (Blue, Red, and Yellow, 1930)

De Stijl Founder Dutch De Stijl artists; chief among the De Stijl group was the artist Piet Mondrian. The artist simplified his palette to include only primary colors, plus black and white. He also relied on the geometric forms created by the vertical and horizontal grid, and he does not confine the exterior shapes established by the edge of the canvas. De Stijl was based on Theosophical beliefs shared by the members of the group.

Henry Cole (The Great Exhibition of 1851)

Designer The Crystal Palace A designer named Henry Cole organized the Great Exhibition of 1851, a display that focused on the products and crafts manufactured through industry. This event would prove influential on the style of art and the craft industries for the next century. Additionally, the exhibition demonstrated just how much the quality and design of manufactured goods had declined as a result of the industrial process. The Great Exhibition of 1851 was staged in a building created specifically for the event. A competition was held and the winning architectural design became known as The Crystal Palace.

Joseph Paxton (The Crystal Palace 1851)

Gardner The Crystal Palace The Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of 1851 was staged in a building created specifically for the event. A competition was held and the winning architectural design became known as The Crystal Palace. Joseph Paxton was a gardener, not an architect, but it was his design that selected for the building that would house the Great Exhibition of 1851. His design was chosen because it was relatively inexpensive to build; and it could be built in a time span of only nine months. Paxton's design was especially creative in that it was formed of prefabricated modules that were made from cast-iron, wood, and glass. The prefabricated pieces could be made in one location and assembled onsite. The esteemed architect A.W.N. Pugin (designer of the Houses of Parliament in London) called it the "glass monster" because it was not considered to be a work of aesthetically-pleasing architecture.

Walter Gropius [Founder of The Bauhaus]

The Bauhaus At the German Pavilion at the 1925 Exposition there were also a number of modern appliances on display: washing machines, dryers and other conveniences for the home. Visitors wondered who could possibly afford these modern wonders. Walter Gropius responded: "To begin with royalty. Later on everybody" (Sayre 409). He was right. Walter Gropius would become the founder of The Bauhaus School of Design in Germany. Gropius believed the modern machines would be the salvation of humanity. Walter Gropius intended to break the barriers that existed between the Craft Arts and the Fine Arts. He believed in using the master/journeyman/apprentice concept of learning rather than the formal model of teachers and students. played an instrumental part in the establishment of many of the art departments and craft schools across the United States; for example, Walter Gropius served on the faculty of Harvard and MIT.

Gustave Stickley ("The Craftsmen"; "Settee")

The Craftsman Simplicity, quality materials Gustav Stickley was a furniture designer and the founder/publisher of the magazine called The Craftsman. If you are native to Central New York, this is a name that you may recognize, for Stickley published his first issue of The Craftsman in 1901, from Syracuse, New York. This magazine is recognized for being instrumental in the growth of the Arts and Crafts tradition in the United States. The magazine was established to support the principles and movement begun by the Englishman, William Morris. Stickley recognized the important value of machine manufacturing processes in the production of his furniture. Stickley furniture is massive and lacks ornamentation. The beauty of the furniture is in the design and the quality of the wood - typically oak. The mission style furniture is associated with Gustav Stickley. The Everson Museum in Syracuse has a tremendous collection of Stickley furniture, and there is a Stickley furniture showroom in Manlius, New York.