The name of Charles Rennie Mackintosh,
who has been described as '' a genius ahead of his time'', is now seen
as synonymous with the Art Nouveau movement.
He began his working life in Glasgow, the
city of his birth, as an articled apprentice architect with the firm of
John Hutchinson. His mastery of the skills needed for architectural and
technical drawing were soon noticed and he went on to win many awards
and some of the highest prizes in the field at both local and national
levels.
Mackintosh travelled around Scotland,
England, and Italy, sketching historic architectural sites. It is
believed that these field trip exercises nurtured the development of his
latent expressive and artistic talents. His drawing became less rigidly
technical and this became evident in his studies of flowers and plants.
Mackintosh was to become much influenced by Japanese art and the
stylised techniques used in drawing and painting plants and flowers.
The most architecturally outstanding and
famos building by Charles Rennie Mackintosh was his design for the
Glasgow School of Art, erected between 1897 and 1909. It was practical,
functional and artistic, and the dynamic simplicity of its design became
a model for many future architectural designs.
Mackintosh's talent for interior design
can be seen in the now famous Cranston Tea Room of Glasgow and the
Willow Tea Rooms. He succeeded in creating atmosheric interiors of such
elegant sophistication that the Cranston Tea Rooms became some of the
most popular and fashionable venues in Glasgow during the Edwardian era
and onwards.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh has been
described as a consummate designer and draughtsman who became to
represent and typify the style of the Art Nouveau movement. His work is
easily recognisable, with his frequent use of motifs such as the
stylised rose, seen in so many of his projects - a trademark of
simplification, abstraction and symbolism.
The revival of interest in his work is a
tribute to his skill as a designer in that his use of shape and form can
be adapted to so many different modern items. They are still
deceptively simple and yet so pleasing to the eye.
This Collection has been inspired by the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Craigie Stockwell carpets commissioned
Ian Spalding to create a number of rug designs drawn from several areas
of mackintosh's work.
These can be re-created in any size,
shape or colour combination by Craigie Stockwell Carpet's expert
designers to enable them to work with your interior scheme.
These inspired, lively designs will sit well on any contemporary floor.
