Art History

This semester I'm taking an Art History class, American Art History to be exact. It's my minor and I absolutely love it. I love classical art (think ancient Greece and Rome), 18th century European Art (everything from Baroque and Rococo to Impressionism-I love impressionism), and of course the Masters, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello, and all the other Ninja Turtles. I truly love art. No matter where or what time period, I can find something I love about it and how it is inherently beautiful, specific to that culture and moment in history. However, my least favorite kind of art is Modern Art. I think a lot of it is beautiful and creative, but I also think a lot of it is ridiculous. So, when I was registering for my last Art History class ever and found that the only one that I hadn't taken that fit my schedule was American Art History, I was a little bummed. "American Art History" doesn't really give me tingles and honestly, all I thought it could be is a bunch of Duchamp stuff (the toilet) and sculptures made of food, which is cool, but definitely different. It isn't really the epitome of the "Art History" I have grown to know and love.

Was I in for a surprise! So far, this class has been great! America is a young country and doesn't have the same rich history as other European countries, but we sure have learned a lot from them. I'll skip the lesson about artist training and and all of the really cool things I have learned this semester and share one of my most favorite lectures-Arts and Crafts. Whenever I have learned about Arts and Crafts before it has seemed like a little blip on the screen that wasn't really a big deal and didn't really have any implications on the future. Well, I had a lot to learn.

The Arts and Crafts Movement came during a time of industrialization-mass production of art and furniture. The workers would make one piece of an item and pass it on to the next person, they would never see the full fruits of their labors. They would be working long hours for poor wages and the artists and craftsmen were out of work. For a short time it was a lot like IKEA, lots of mass-produced furniture that anyone could buy for a really great price. As you could guess, this would be quite popular in the beginning, but people missed the real, hand-made art they were used to. So, out of this artists and craftsmen came together to produce homes and products to make life better. They believed that by surrounding themselves with beautiful things, they would be better people. High-quality homes and furniture were built, after a hard day at work, you wanted to come home to somewhere beautiful. From carpet weavers to wood-carvers to metal-workers to glass-blowers, artisans and craftsmen produced beautiful wares and high-quality items for homes.

A really good example of this is the Louis Comfort Tiffany lamp. It's not something I would actually put in my own home, but it is beautiful. The base of the lamp has been sculpted to look like the base of a tree and the stained-glass lamp shade is organic and colorful. You can see how having this in your home would be relaxing, beautiful, and make you a better person.



This is a Gustav Stickley chair, they were so popular that they're still made today. It was hand-crafted, and he wants you to be able to tell that it's hand-crafted, which is evident by the wooden pegs in the legs of the chair. It is comfortable and meant to be sat in. It is also made from a local oak-a sturdy wood that those in the area would be familiar with. It was built to last, to be passed down, and used. I think I might like something like this when I grow up.

The homes that were built during this time are called Bungalows and are still seen today. I think this is a really charming bungalow, very homey, very personal-I like it.


They are even seen in Provo!



This is a really great example of an Arts and Crafts home. It's called Gamble House and it's in Ponderosa, California. You can see how well-made and hand-crafted it is. It was built by real carpenters who were interested in producing a high-quality product. I think it's really beautiful. Here is the front door, a stained glass "Tree of Life".



This is what it would look like as you are coming home from school-isn't this somewhere you would love to come home to?



Here is a general view of the exterior.


This is one of my favorite examples of the inspiration of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The European version of this movement is called "Art Nouveau", most people are familiar with it on the Metropolitan entrances in Paris. Here is an example of a staircase. The banister was created separately from the staircase itself, the wallpaper was created by another craftsman, and the carpet was designed by yet another person. You can see how all of these pieces put together create something really beautiful. Basically, I think it's gorgeous and wouldn't mind coming home to something like this, wouldn't you? I think that when you live somewhere beautiful and uplifting, it can't help but make you a better person. The saying "you are what you eat" is also true here-you are what you "eat" with your eyes, you become what you surround yourself with, you really are influenced by the world you create around yourself.