Chapter Il lavoro come arte: William Morris e la riscoperta del lavoro artigiano

Abstract

Work plays a central role in the reflections of William Morris. According to Morris, industrial society is based on an organization of labor that debases the human being, reduced to a machine among machines, while art and beauty are destined for a select few. This was not the case in the Middle Ages, where every craftsman was also an artist. Morris then proposes a return to the pre-industrial organizational model, based on an idea of work practical and theoretical, collaborative, creative, in order to restore dignity to workers and allow everyone to experience the beauty of art, even in the humblest of jobs and products made. The paper highlights the main theoretical nodes of the author's thought, highlighting in the conclusion its main critical issues and insights for today.