William Morris: La nascita del design e la democratizzazione del bello

While industrial production conveyed the idea of ​​progressive and shared economic well-being, the social reality was quite different. The countless hours of factory work were not matched by a fair wage, much less personal gratification. Participation in mass production, with its repetitive and depersonalized actions, brought with it alienation and estrangement. William Morris responded to these negative aspects of industrialization by founding Morris, Marshall, Faulckner & Co. in 1861 and the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in 1888. The idea was to bring beauty into industrial production, reviving artisanal craftsmanship and creativity (and medieval spirituality) to create low-cost yet high-quality products, including aesthetic quality. Thus was born the first concept of design: bringing beauty within everyone's reach, literally bringing it into homes through everyday objects. A utopian and revolutionary idea, which laid the foundations for the birth and development of Art Nouveau. 00:00 Introduction 01:30 The negative aspects of industrialization 07:00 William Morris 08:00 The theories of John Ruskin 10:13 Adherence to utopian socialism (1883) 12:20 Morris's idea of ​​production (Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. 1861) 15:04 The Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society (1888) (worker artist) 18:41 The Red House (1859), wallpaper 20:57 Decoratism and the premise of Art Nouveau 23:00 Art for art's sake 24:22 The Whistler vs. Ruskin trial 28:01 Superficial beauty or moral values?