探寻英国工艺美术运动！William Morris Arrives At Shanghai Expo Museum!

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“与美为期：威廉·莫里斯与英国工艺美术运动”展览在上海世博会博物馆盛大开展。

 We are delighted to announce that the exhibition 'WILLIAM MORRIS & THE BRITISH ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT' has now opened at the Shanghai Expo Museum!

此次展览是威廉·莫里斯首次从伦敦来到上海，由中国文物交流中心支持，上海世博会博物馆与英国维多利亚与艾尔伯特博物馆（V&A博物馆）共同举办，旨在向中国观众展示英国工艺美术运动的精髓与魅力。

This exhibition marks the first time that William Morris has traveled from London to Shanghai. Supported by the China Arts and Antiques Exchange Centre, it is jointly organized by the Shanghai Expo Museum and the V&A Museum, aiming to showcase the essence and charm of the British Arts and Crafts Movement to Chinese audiences.

在19世纪下半叶，英国工业革命带来了机械化生产的大规模普及，这对传统手工艺造成了巨大冲击。当时，工厂制造的产品往往粗制滥造，美感与品质缺失，同时装饰艺术也被繁琐的维多利亚风格主导，浮夸而不切实际。在此背景下，威廉·莫里斯为代表的艺术家和设计师开始反思工业生产对艺术与设计的影响，倡导回归手工艺传统，强调艺术与技术的结合，为大众创造美观而实用的物品。

In the latter half of the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution in the UK brought about the mass popularization of mechanized production, which had a huge impact on traditional handicrafts. At that time, factory-made products were often crudely made, lacking aesthetic appeal and quality. 

Meanwhile, decorative art at the time was dominated by the cumbersome Victorian style, which was extravagant and impractical. Against this background, artists and designers including William Morris began to reflect on the impact of industrial production on art and design, advocating a return to handicraft traditions and emphasizing the combination of art and technology to create beautiful and practical items for the masses.

 威廉·莫里斯 

William Morris

威廉·莫里斯是19世纪英国著名的设计师、诗人、工匠，他的作品风格自然清新、优雅质朴，深受中世纪与乡村田园风情的影响。他认为艺术应当是平民可以承受的，手工的，艺术媒介不应有高下之分。自然是他的设计灵感源泉，图案多用花草、枝叶、鸟类等作为设计元素。对称舒展的骨骼、柔美的枝叶、饱满华美的花朵、灵动的小鸟儿，风格清新质朴，在图案里描绘出纯粹和谐的自然形态美。

William Morris was a renowned 19th-century British designer, poet, and craftsman. His works featured a natural, fresh, elegant, and rustic style, deeply influenced by medieval and rural pastoral themes. He believed that art should be affordable for common people and handmade, with no hierarchy among artistic media. 

Nature was the source of his design inspiration, with patterns often incorporating flowers, plants, branches, birds, and other design elements. Symmetrical and stretched skeletons, soft branches and leaves, full and magnificent flowers, and lively birds depict a pure and harmonious natural beauty in his patterns, characterized by a fresh and rustic style.

威廉·莫里斯设计的图案细节丰富、结构清晰，自然元素的形象栩栩如生，使人们从感官上获得一种回归自然田园生活的体验，让人和自然的关系更加紧密，给世人传达人与自然和谐相处的绿色设计理念。他的一生可谓是“创造力惊人”：600多种纹样、150多款花窗、3套字体、650多种边框和装饰元素…… 这些作品时至今日仍然受到社会大众的喜爱，对现代的设计师的影响也是不可小觑的，一直以来是各大时装周的“常客”。

Morris's designs were rich in detail and had clear structures, with lifelike images of natural elements, providing people with a sensory experience of returning to natural rural life and bringing people closer to nature. They conveyed a green design concept of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. 

His life was filled with astonishing creativity, creating over 600 patterns, more than 150 stained glass windows, 3 sets of fonts, and over 650 borders and decorative elements. These works remain popular among the art-loving public today and have a significant impact on modern designers, consistently featuring in major fashion weeks.

本次展览将展出123件（套）与英国工艺美术运动紧密相关的典藏珍品，时间跨度从1890至1920年。展览通过序厅以及“灵感”“制造”“社会”三个相互呼应的篇章，引领观众深入了解由现代设计之父威廉·莫里斯引领的工艺美术运动艺术思潮。通过对比茛苕设计和维多利亚时代的织物品，观众能够深刻体会到工艺美术运动的基本追求和设计原则，即“删繁就简，以美为真”。

This exhibition will display 123 pieces (sets) of treasures closely related to the British Arts and Crafts Movement, spanning from 1890 to 1920. Through the preface hall and three interconnected chapters titled 'Inspiration,' 'Manufacture,' and 'Society,' the exhibition leads visitors to deeply understand the artistic trend of the Arts and Crafts Movement led by William Morris, the father of modern design. 

By comparing acanthus designs with Victorian textiles, visitors can deeply appreciate the basic pursuits and design principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement, namely, 'simplifying complexity and pursuing beauty as truth.'

展览的第一展区“灵感”篇章将展示工艺美术设计师们的创作灵感来源，围绕“自然与乡村”“信仰与崇拜”“东方的灵感”三个主题，展品将充分展现设计师们是如何从自然界的万物生长、宗教的虔诚信仰，以及东方艺术的深邃魅力中汲取灵感的。如威廉·莫里斯的“草莓小偷”纺织品图案，以及约翰·亨利·迪尔设计的“猫头鹰”壁毯等，都是这一设计风格的典型代表。

The first exhibition area, 'Inspiration,' showcases the sources of inspiration for Arts and Crafts designers. Focusing on the three themes of 'Nature and Countryside,' 'Belief and Worship,' and 'Eastern Inspiration,' the exhibits fully demonstrate how designers drew inspiration from the growth of all things in nature, religious devotion, and the profound charm of Eastern art. Typical examples include William Morris's 'Strawberry Thief' textile pattern and John Henry Dearle's 'Owl' tapestry.

展览的第二展区“制造”篇章将深入探讨工艺美术运动在生产制造上的影响和变革。主要围绕“复兴手工艺”“手工与机器”“协会与制造商”“复古的浪漫”这四个核心主题展现了要让设计师们成为材料与成品之间媒介的理念主张。

The second exhibition area, 'Manufacture,' delves into the impact and transformation of the Arts and Crafts Movement on production and manufacturing. It revolves around the four core themes of 'Reviving Handicrafts,' 'Hand and Machine,' 'Associations and Manufacturers,' and 'Retro Romance,' presenting the idea of designers as the medium between materials and finished products.

第三展区“社会”篇章则将探讨工艺美术运动对社会和文化的影响，可见工艺美术运动的核心在于社会教育。

The third exhibition area, 'Society,' explores the impact of the Arts and Crafts Movement on society and culture, highlighting that the core of the movement lies in social education.

“与美为期：威廉·莫里斯与英国工艺美术运动”将带领我们穿越时空，回到那个艺术与设计发生深刻变革的时代，感受威廉·莫里斯及其对于美的追求和对于社会进步的贡献。

'WILLIAM MORRIS & THE BRITISH ARTS AND CRAFTSMOVEMENT'  will take us through time and space back to an era of profound changes in art and design, allowing us to experience William Morris's pursuit of beauty and his contributions to social progress.