The Pre-Raphaelite designer William Morris is best known for his stunning wallpaper and textile designs that were inspired by the British countryside. His work was considered revolutionary at the time and as were his political views, which influenced everything he did.
As Victorian Britain prospered, an emerging middle class were buying into new extravagances that Morris viewed as tasteless and tacky. He was disgusted by the displays of wealth and luxury he saw at The Great Exhibition in 1851 and so devoted his life to designing products that were beautiful, rather than gaudy displays of wealth. He rejected the use mass-production and consumerism and argued that there were ways to mass-produce without the use of heavy machinery - instead using skilled, waged workers to hand-craft products.
Although born into a wealthy family, Morris identified as a socialist and was hugely influenced by the work of Karl Marx in his later years, campaigning for social reform and radical revolution. He was married to a working-class woman and felt a great deal of sympathy for those whom Victorian capitalism had marginalised. However, he later realised that he was a hypocrite by producing expensive, hand-crafted items through his established ‘Morris and Co.’ that only the rich could afford, effectively pricing-out those whom he sought to help. This fact caused him great despair and he struggled with it for the rest of his life as he fundamentally believed that art should be:
'by the people, for the people’
I understand the position that Morris was in when it came to conflicting views and actions. The mass production he was so against has now allowed for millions of people across the world access to products they would otherwise be unable to afford. Corporate giants such as IKEA have the means to produce billions of affordable items each year, so that ordinary working people can live in fully-furnished homes. However, the other side to this is the huge strain on the environment due to products being thrown out and replaced, lorries delivering stock pumping out CO2 and factories dumping waste into the oceans. It’s only right that those without wealth be able to afford the same products as those that do, but when the cost of that is on the planet, it’s very difficult to contend with these ramifications. Morris understood this issue exactly and was already growing concerned about the environmental impact of the industrial revolution. Over a hundred years after his death and as countries such as China and India begin to follow the consumerist ways of the West, this is an issue we foresee will continue only continue to grow.
Although while alive, Morris’ work was far too expensive for most to afford, he inspired many copycats and his style went on to influence future design movements. These days, anyone can purchase Morris-inspired wallpapers, tea towels and clothing. While he may have hated it, mass-production has effectively aided in his socialist belief that anyone should have access to art.
Morven
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