Artistic movements

Artistic movements

The Aemilia Ars society was founded in the Italian town of Bologna on the 3rd December 1898, drawing inspiration from the Arts and Crafts Movement in the United Kingdom. It aimed at promoting and supporting the decorative arts in the region of Emilia, taking its inspiration from Nature and regarding the Renaissance as the period of the greatest beauty and the pinnacle of crafts.

Art Needlework is a late nineteenth century form of free-style embroidery, which became popular in Britain and quickly spread elsewhere. The concept of Art Needlework was developed under the influence of the Pre-Raphaelite artists and the Arts and Crafts Movement. In particular it was associated with the English designer, William Morris and his daughter, May Morris.

The Arts and Crafts Movement is a late nineteenth century artistic style that took its name from the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society (London), which was founded in 1887. The movement was inspired by the theories of the architect Augustus Pugin (1812-1852) and the art writer John Ruskin (1819-1900). The artist/craftsman William Morris (1834-1896) was also involved in its creation and propagation of the views of its members.

The Celtic Revival was part of various artistic movements that sprang up in the 1840's and reached a peak in various parts the world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Groups involved in this revival included the Arts and Crafts Movement and the Glasgow School

In the late nineteenth century, a new style of embroidery developed at the Glasgow School of Art, which influenced Western embroidery for many decades to come. The new style was developed following changes at the School that took place after 1885 when Francis H. Newbery was appointed as director. He allowed students to develop their own individual talents, rather than forcing them to follow a strict, Classical form of learning.

A kustar is a Russian home or cottage worker, a peasant engaged in cottage industry. The kustar produced a wide range of products, including embroidery, and the popularity of kustar products can be regarded in the light of the arts and crafts revival of the nineteenth century.

The Japanese term mingei literally means 'ordinary people’s craft'. It is used for the Mingei movement, the Japanese version of the Arts and Crafts movement. The Mingei movement started in the 1920's and was led by the Japanese philosopher, Soetsu Yanagi (1889-1961). 

Sophie Standing was born in Britain, but since 2003 lives in Kenya. Most of her machine-made embroideries, which can be very large, represent animals or wildlife scenes and landscapes. She studied wood, ceramics, metal and textiles art at Liverpool Hope University.