Comparing Herbert Read And William Morris

Both Herbert Read and William Morris are considered defenders of their time, both having a huge influence on the art world through their writings. Both Morris and Read considered themselves anarchists, and also, strangely enough, both wrote their own utopian novels. Morris believed that art was in the detail of everyday life, including household good and the planning of towns. Morris was influenced by John Ruskin, the critic from the famous Ruskin versus Whistler trial, and similar to Whistler rejected the status of artist, setting out to create affordable yet hand-made art. He was very involved with the Pre-Raphaelites, which was a group that also rejected mechanistic approach to art, which was becoming more popular through industrialization,

Abstraction was a major difference between Morris and Read. While Read advocated about it, Morris’s impression of a post-revolutionary life did not fit the aesthetic ideas that went hand in hand in abstraction. Both Morris and Read showed how there is great art in craftsmanship, and Morris especially showed that in the Red House and Green Dining Room, where they were obviously made for a purpose but still were meticulously crafted by hand to create an aesthetically pleasing work of

Andy Warhol often talked about his personal aura as well as with his arts. While Benjamin saw reproductions as cheap imitations of the original art, Warhol thought that it created a new sense of aura. One of his famous works is his Marilyn Monroe print, which is multiplied several times, and Warhol thought this gave off an aura of celebrity and fame. The destruction of the aura creates a more even playing field for all artists, allowing them to get their art out into the world however they please, and giving them more artistic freedom. If Warhol had followed Benjamin’s thoughts, then we may have had only one of each of his