The Art That Is Life: The Art & Crafts Movement in America, 1875-1920 (Art That is Life)

This paperback is a reprint edition of an important exhibition catalog that was originally issued in 1987. The exhibition, which was held at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and which bore the same title as this book, was comprised of 225 design-related artifacts (furniture, glass, silver, ceramics, textiles, wallpaper, books and architectural drawings) from the era in design and architectural history known as the American Arts and Crafts movement. The book is important because of the thoroughness with which it documents, interprets, and illustrates the moral, esthetic and social reforms that enabled the Arts and Crafts movement to flourish. Included in the 400-page volume are eight essays by various experts on the subject, who introduce more than 300 photographs (including 55 color plates) in discussing a wide range of topics, among them American Arts and Crafts Architecture, The Art of Work, The Role of the Schools, House and Home, and A More Reasonable Way to Dress. The text and illustrations provide ample evidence of the continuing influence of Arts and Crafts: "In altering attitudes toward the fabrication and use of objects," writes curator Wendy Kaplan, "it changed the fundamental perceptions regarding design, the home, and work." (Copyright by Roy R. Behrens from Ballast Quarterly Review, Vol. 15, No. 1, Autumn 1999.)

Wendy Kaplan has succeeded to capture in her book, "The Art that is Life," the broad scope of the movement. It is wonderful to see and read of the various elements that made up this rich period in American craftsmanship. From the aesthetics in architectural styles, to the furnishings within them, this book helps to put into perspective the far--reaching impact the movement had on the American consiousness. This well illustrated volume has been a handy reference to me as a collector of Arts & Crafts items, since its publication in 1987. Fortunately now it is available in paperback form as well.

Of all the books on the arts and crafts movement in America I regret and am dismayed at the discontinuance of this book. I have read some fifty books and none presents as clear and concise a documentation of the A & C Movement in America as Ms. Kaplans. Those seriously interested in the movement can not achieve a solid understanding without reading this work. Comprehensive, extremely well documented with photographs and research with essays that are remarkable for their breadth and depth. Exceptional book