Craftsman Style
- Book Review,
by Robert Winter, Alexander Vertikoff
From Publishers Weekly
The American Craftsman movement, inspired by Englishmen John Ruskin and William Morris, encompassed not only architecture and the decorative arts, but also a nostalgically romantic philosophy, proposing that modernity (starting with the Renaissance) has lead to "materialism and social decay," and that craftsmanship is an antidote to the woes of industrialization. The Craftsman aesthetic flourished in America around the turn of the 20th century and birthed utopian communities as well as architecture and handicrafts. In this opulent book, architectural historian Winter, with the aid of American Bungalow photographer Vertikoff's gorgeous images, presents a comprehensive survey of this quirky movement and its 1960s revival. Winter's interpretation of the Craftsman style is broad, encompassing Bernard Maybeck's gaudy, Tudor/Gothic/Medievalesque Roos House; the dramatic desert- and Native American–inspired structures Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter built in the Grand Canyon; and even Ray Kappe's "soft modernist" house as well as the more familiar California Swiss/Japanese bungalows, quasi-Tudor mansions and charming artists' communities in Pennsylvania and upstate New York. The book ends with a grand finale: the new Disney Grand California Hotel, in itself a kind of Craftsman museum, with a different Craftsman style interpreted in each suite. An erudite introduction provides novices with enough background to enjoy the book, and an extensive bibliography gives enough information for readers to further pursue the Craftsman aesthetic. 255 illus. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
Inspired by the British Arts and Crafts movement, Craftsman-style homes captured America's heart at the turn of the 20th century. Bungalows and larger houses with broad roof overhangs, comfortable porches, and hand-hewn wooden details grew out of California's warm climate and influenced a range of other building types, from resort hotels to churches and schools. Today Craftsman-style structures can be found as far east as New York State. Intricate woodwork gives them a timeless handcrafted look, and rustic materials tie them to the earth. Behind each element lies a hint of a craftsman plying his art. This handsome volume is a celebration of Craftsman-style architecture, which flourished in America from about 1895 into the 1920s. It took on a more natural and rustic form on this side of the Atlantic than its British counterpart, in keeping with the rugged American frontier ethos. Robert Winter, one of the country's leading authorities on the Arts and Crafts movement, has supplied the informative text, which complements the gorgeous color photography by Alexander Vertikoff.
About the Author
Robert Winter is one of the country's leading architectural historians and an expert on the Arts and Crafts movement. A noted author and lecturer, he is the Arthur G. Coons Professor of the History of Ideas, Emeritus, at Occidental College, Los Angeles. He lives in Pasadena. Alexander Vertikoff, chief photographer for American Bungalow magazine, has photographed Arts and Crafts buildings for such books as American Bungalow Style (also by Robert Winter), Bungalow Nation, and Stickley Style. He lives outside Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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