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A Brief History of William Morris’s Influence On Bauhaus Modern Contemporary Design Like “Madison”

The Madison is a simple style crafted by Amish artisans that encompasses the graceful lines of contemporary styles and the uncomplicated organic philosophy of Mission styles. Contemporary or Modern furniture design is surprisingly, not so modern. Its roots go back to the late 1800’s and its influence is as old, if not older than, modernism. Modernism evolved from the ideas of those who felt that the “traditional” forms of Victorian and post-Victorian life, art, architecture, literature, religious faith, even social organization, had become outdated with the advent of a new economic, social and political conditions brought about by a newly industrialized world.

Modernism is an inclusive label for a wide variety of cultural movements. The hardest thing for most traditionalists is that the modern movement rejects and questions all forms of tradition from religion to architecture. Even the Nazi’s deemed it to be narcissistic and created by the mentally ill. Designers like Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, who chose to be known as Le Corbusier, believed that buildings were machines for living like a vehicle was a machine for traveling in. In rejecting the way everyone thought the Modern thinker believed you could expand your ideas and find new ways to live.

Like the simple and functional Madison designs in chairs and tables modern minimalism argues that extreme simplicity will capture all of the inspirational depictions needed in art or furniture. The Bauhaus school was founded in Germany, operating from 1919 to 1933. It became arguably the most well recognized design schools in history; definitely the most influential source of Modernistic design thought. With fall of German monarchy and the loss of WWI, the liberal artist took free reign over Germany.

An interesting influence on Modern designers and the Bauhau movement was that of the 19th century English designer William Morris. Morris argued in print and on the streets that art should meet the needs of society and that there should be no distinction between form and function. Bauhaus style, also known as the International Style, had a marked absence of ornamentation. The harmony between the function of an object or a building and its design was a signature. The Madison style displays this quality in solid wood tables and chairs crafted by hand by Amish wood workers. The painstaking care each piece is custom-built would make even William Morris proud of the artisan production method creating form following function in a well priced furnishing.

Tags: amish arts and crafts, amish contemporary, Amish Furniture, amish mission, amish modern, arts & crafts, bauhau, contemporary furniture, Mission, mission oak, modern furniture

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 at 11:58 pm and is filed under Accessories, Amish Furniture, Custom Dining Room Tables, Dining Room Chairs, Dining Room Furniture, History of Furniture Making, Mission, Modern & Contemporary, Solid Wood Furniture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.