Inexhaustible Morris

And This day DRAW A VEIL OVER All Deeds Pass'd over,
Yet Their Hands Shall Not Tremble, Their Feet Shall Not Falter;
The Void Shall Not Weary, The Fear Shall Not Alter
These Lips and these Eyes of the Loved and the Lover.

William Morris

William Morris (1834–1896) is a significant person in the British, or rather, in the European culture of the 19th century. He is known as a social philosopher, a writer, a folklorist, and most of all as an artist-contributor, one of the creators of modern art of book, modern fabrics and forever modern drawings of wallpaper.

My direct contact with the legacy of Morris was funny and, perhaps, indicative for that time. In the late 1980s, I managed to visit London. After a long walk, my friend Natasha led me to drink tea in confectionery rish. In the evening I talk about this A., once my classmate on the philological faculty, mentioning that the wallpaper there were like Morris . “They are not like Morris,” said A., “it's just Morris ...”

It would seem that among objects of decorative decoration of the dwelling, what could be more ephemeral than the wallpaper? I mean, of course, not the paper canvases themselves, which we change from time to time, since they inevitably fade, crack and contaminate. But what to say about their texture, figure and color , which we choose depending on the illumination of the room, its functions and, of course, fashion? ..

The first wallpaper of Morris dates from 1862, he created them for (later) the Red House, designed by Morris by his friend, architect Philip Webb).

The history of the construction of this house, in which the artist's friends and colleagues participated, is remarkable and eloquent. The utopia of the house as an ideal unity of style, quality and needlework there was embodied “in the material” with all the maximalism characteristic of Morris and manifested in most of its undertakings.

Everything in the Red House was done “with your own hands”; The builders sought to follow the techniques of medieval artisans who were firmly forgotten by that time. It was in the Red House in 1861 that an artist with friends-Rossetti, Bern-Jones, Ford Madox Brown-founded a company for the production of decor, stained glass and furniture.

In the Red House, the daughter of Morris Jenny and May were born; For the time being, the Bern-Jones family lived there, but for various reasons, the combination under one roof of workshops and family life was unsuccessful, and in 1865 the Red House was put up for sale.

Morrisa moved to London and since 1875 became called Morris & Co. - Mark, under which it existed until 1940.

In 1871, William Morris, along with the poet, artist and translator Dante Rossetti, acquired the Kelmskott (Oxfordshire) estate, which has been preserved and is popular as the Museum of Morris and his environment. In the 1870s, Morris continued to actively work on translations from Icelandic and his own verses; The company worked successfully and received more and more responsible orders - including the restoration and design of the palace hall, etc.

The hero of our story never stopped the complexity of the task: he was not only with energy and fantastic determination - as an artist and thinker Morris was constantly open to the whole new one. His work is striking not only by the variety of techniques, but also by the revival of those that were completely forgotten in the machine production era . (A separate plot is the Kelmskotta printing house and its publication.)

The breadth of the interests of Morris is amazing - and this is always active interest. In particular, this is his research interest in the culture of Iceland and in Icelandic sagas. Morris repeatedly traveled around this country, translated the Saga of Volsungs and much more, wrote poetry about Iceland.

The activities of William Morris were not limited to innovation in the aesthetic organization of everyday life. Over the years, the sphere of his actual social activity expanded, and over time he joined the actual policy. This, however, is a separate topic; I leave it to professionals - historians of social movements. As for the wallpaper according to the drawings of Morris, now they can be purchased in Moscow ...

Rebekah Frumkin

The dates of the life and work of William Morris, see, for example: www.morrissociety.org/worldwide/russia_chronology.html