Anna Branford

creating beauty in the steiner tradition

As a non-parent, my interest in Steiner/Waldorf is obviously different from that of most enthusiasts. I’ve worked in early childhood settings of all different kinds since I was a teenager, so I do have some interest in it as a philosophy of education and childcare.

But I’ll be honest and admit that at this time, my interest is mainly in beauty.

(Waldorf star lanterns, courtesy of green baboon designs)

(Blue knights, courtesy of waldorf mama)

(Felt pocket gnomes, courtesy of lilipili)

So what is the Steiner/Waldorf aesthetic? I’ve been poring over these kinds of images and reading lots of books and websites trying to gather the principles that might come together to form the distinctive (and in my opinion very beautiful) art and craftwork produced in this tradition. So far I have come up with seven.

One: Most, if not all, of the materials used in the construction of these beautiful creations are as raw and natural as they can be. Even though the pine wood might be sanded very smooth and the wool felt or silk dyed very brightly (though often with natural dyes) the absence of plastics and synthetic fabrics and laquers not only lends them part of their distinctive aesthetic, it seems to mean that the different pieces blend beautifully together – felt with wood, acorns with wool, beeswax with pinecones.

(Candlelit nativity, courtesy of waldorf mama)

Two: I’ve noticed that the tools used to create these things are often handmade from natural materials and a particular pleasure to work with too. No doubt good tools improve the quality of a product, but they also definitely affect the creative experience and seem to help it become more of a meditation than a chore. I think this feature of the process might, in turn, make its subtle mark on the final products too.

(Wooden knitting needles, courtesy of ximenaelle)

Three: Tools and other creations seem designed not only to be beautiful and useful but also tactile – a pleasure to touch and to hold. This aim, if I’m right in assuming it, means that lots of Steiner/Waldorf products are created with a pair of human hands in mind to receive them, affecting their shapes and forms and the quality with which they’re finished.

(Steiner play pegs, courtesy of Winterwood)

Four: The simplicity of design is a particularly notable feature of the Steiner/Waldorf aesthetic. My understanding is that the purpose of this simplicity is to allow, to the greatest extent possible, the child to supply the imaginative details that will turn the carved wood into a car or animal, the acorns into dinner, the knotted cloth into a baby. Steiner dolls are often faceless, or very nearly faceless. Other Steiner toys too seem designed to accommodate and even reflect the understandings and ideas of the child holding them.

(Waldorf silk snuggle doll, courtesy of Knecht Ruprecht Waldorf Dolls)

(Knitted Waldorf doll, courtesy of waldorf mama)

Five: The spiritual (and indeed Spiritualist) underpinnings of the Steiner approach seem to mean an understanding of a natural world that is very much infused with enchantment, sacredness and even magic. The gnomes with pointed hoods that feature so prominently in Steiner/Waldorf imagery are a good example, but there are representations of many other kinds of fairies and spirits, often woven seamlessly into natural settings like forests, rivers and gardens.

(Waldorf fairy home, courtesy of Blueberry Forest Toys)

Six: It follows the point above to observe that there seems to be a special interest in cycles and seasons that is honoured carefully within the Steiner tradition. Many of the beautiful things children make and play with reflect a sensitivity and reverence towards seasonal change.

(Spring fairy, courtesy of Triggerish)

Seven: The final point that I think is especially worthy of note is that children are very often involved in, if not wholly responsible for, the production of Steiner/Waldorf creations. As an amateur craftsperson myself, I must admit that this gives me great hope when I’m trying out projects which have often been designed with the skills and capabilities of children in mind. Skilled and extraordinary though many of these children are, at least it makes me feel I’m in with a chance!

(Waldorf silk snuggle doll, depicted previously, in creation. This image too is courtesy of Knecht Ruprecht Waldorf Dolls.)

But besides providing some encouragingly manageable techniques, child-centred modes of creation also seem to yield particular aesthetic qualities – the beauty of exposed stitching, the imperfect perfection of a wobbly row of stitches, the delightful, dense brightness of loom weaving with thick wool.

(Steiner Craft display at an Australian primary school, courtesy of the maidenhair tree)

As a beginner enthusiast and a rather cursory researcher, no doubt there is much I have missed, misunderstood and misrepresented about this aesthetic tradition. I am all ears for any ideas or clarifications that could help me understand the more-than-the-sum-of-the-parts beauty of the Steiner/Waldorf approach to creation!

I’d love to hear what you think about it all.