- Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.
- If you cannot learn to love real art, at least learn to hate sham art and reject it.
- So long as the system of competition in the production and exchange of the means of life goes on, the degradation of the arts will go on; and if that system is to last for ever, then art is doomed, and will surely die; that is to say, civilization will die.
- The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.
William Morris 1834-1896
As we settle into life on the farm, my mind turns more and more to thoughts of a time before the industrial revolution and the realities of how it changed the way we live and the things we own. William Morris saw the radical changes right before his eyes, and to the extent that he could, tried to stem the tide with the Arts and Crafts Movement. In the age of Walmart and mass production, art and craft seem to get lost. How little of what we own in this day and age was genuinely hand-crafted or of any real quality. Even less is created by our own hands.
We buy expensively framed, mass printed posters, instead of artwork made uniquely by individuals - even if the prices aren't wildly different. Furniture is mass produced junk manufactured out of particle board and the like. Same with clothing, shoes, etc, etc, etc.
If you cannot learn to love real art, at least learn to hate sham art and reject it.
Pottery seems to be at least one place where we can easily acquire unique and beautiful hand made items that we can enjoy everyday. Tea and coffee are part of our daily ritual, and there is something nice about the connection to a real person via a piece of pottery. I suppose one could say it's nonsense, but we (the Watkins) just appreciate things that connect us to people, not machines.
So here's a sampling of some of our mugs. Mr. Morris, we believe them to be both useful and beautiful.
No comments:
Post a Comment