Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Design Influence 1

The following information has been prepared for you inorder to help you gain an understanding of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the influence he has had on the world of Art & Design.

This information is only intended to be a starting point and you are encouraged to explore the links on the right hand side of the page to find out more about this extremely influential man. As explained you should try to understand what are the main characteristics of CRM's work, and to use them as an influence for your final piece.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Architect, Designer, Artist (1868-1928)

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, architect, designer and artist(1868-1928)is celebrated around the world as one of the most creative figures of the early 20th century.
Mackintosh's massive contribution to modern architecture and design is unquestioned.

Combining a forward thinking modern approach with the spirit of romanticism popular at the time, Charles Rennie Mackintosh created many of the best loved and most influential buildings, pieces of furniture and decorative schemes of the early 20th century.

Few designers can claim to have created a unique and individual style that is so instantly recognisable. Famous today as a designer of chairs, Charles Rennie Mackintosh was an architect who designed schools, offices, churches, tearooms and homes, an interior designer and decorator, an exhibition designer, a designer of furniture, metalwork, textiles and stained glass and, in his latter years, a water colour painter.

Excelling in all these areas, Mackintosh left hundreds of designs and a rich volume of completed work. His distinctive style mixed together elements of the Scottish and the English Arts and Crafts tradition with the organic forms of Art Nouveau and a drive to be modern. As his work matured Mackintosh often used bolder geometric patterns such as squares and diamonds in place of organic-inspired symbolic decoration like flowers and curves.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a truly inspirational designer who was perhaps the first complete designer the world had ever seen. His work is still both admired and cherished even today, constantly influencing the work of other designers, architects and artists for over a century.