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Saturday, March 9, 2013

William Morris at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC


I stopped in at the National Gallery yesterday to view the exhibit "Pre-Raphaelites - Victorian Arts and Design 1848-1900" (Feb 17th- May 19th, 2013). What a treat and if you have an interest in William Morris and his times!

Who are they? The Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood was a society formed by 7 young men, named for their admiration of art prior to Raphael (1483-1520). Disillusioned by the rigid rules on composition and painting at the Royal Academy of Art, where three of them were studying, these artists rebelled and sought the ‘simplicity and sincerity’ of the Gothic and Early Renaissance Art.

“As an official group, the Pre-Raphaelites stayed together for only five
years. But a second generation of artists, centered on Rossetti and led by
Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris, arose in the 1860s with the
aim of cultivating beauty in everyday life. “

The artists were reacting to industrial revolution, as was, William Morris, who thought that mass production ‘separated laborers from their creations’. Instead, he felt that collaboration amongst artists and artisans would create ‘”high caliber- goods”.

In this exhibit, William Morris’ designs are on display in wood-block printed books and fabrics, embroidery, wallpapers and textiles- as you will see, most inspired by British flora and antique fabrics.

Get to the National Gallery!

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