Art History Lectures for September
I shall kick off the new autumn season with the theme of art partnerships, collaborations that changed the course of European art.
Partners in Art
William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones, creators of the Pre-Raphaelite Interior
With their friendship established at Oxford, Morris and Burne-Jones collaborated on numerous projects. After 1875 Burne-Jones designed all the stained glass windows for the firm with commissions going as far afield as the USA. In the 1890s they collaborated on the great tapestry cycle, the Holy Grail. When Morris predeceased him, Burne-Jones simply declared ‘the king is dead’.
Josef Hoffmann and Kolo Moser, founders of the Wiener Werkstätte
Inspired by Morris’ firm, Hoffmann and Moser founded the Wiener Werkstätte (Viennese workshops) in 1903. Working on joint architectural projects, it is often impossible to distinguish their work stylistically. They developed a radically new design ethos based on strict geometric forms.
Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll, the perfect Arts and Crafts House and Garden
Both wedded to the native architecture of Surrey, with its picturesque half- timbering and tile hanging, Lutyens provided the architectural framework which Jekyll filled with a profusion of flowers. Together they worked on numerous projects, both great and small, establishing a pattern, governed by pergolas, rills, and herbaceous borders, that define the Arts and Crafts garden.
Anne Anderson 