Religiousness in William Morris’s Craft Theory: Focusing on the Influence of John Ruskin

Abstract

Bunsho¯ Jugaku (1900-1992), who compared William Morris (1834-1896) and So¯ etsu Yanagi (1889-1961)’s craft theory in 1934, came to the conclusion that while Yanagi’s craft theory has religious depth, Morris’s craft theory has no religious basis. However, the validity of this claim has not yet been fully verified. At first, this paper confirms that the central proposition of Morris’s theory of crafts, “ART IS MAN’S EXPRESSION OF HIS JOY IN LABOUR” is based on John Ruskin (1819-1900)’s religious claims. On that basis, this paper points out that the theory of crafts and religious thought are closely linked in Ruskin’s “The Nature of Gothic” (1853), which had a great influence on Morris’s theory of crafts. In particular, regarding the characteristics of Gothic art that Ruskin pointed out, this paper focuses on the concepts of “Savageness” and “Naturalism”. Furthermore, this paper shows that Morris’s design theory embraces the affirmation of “Savageness” and “Naturalism” associated with Ruskin’s unique understanding of Christianity. From the above consideration, it is clarified that Morris’s theory of crafts has an implicit religious depth, and Jugaku’s understanding of the difference between the thoughts of Morris and Yanagi can be contested.