"What is art?" is a question that every artist and critic seeks to answer. Why are certain projects relegated to crafts, a category seemingly lower than art?
art*—the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.
Art is concerned with aesthetics. Is it beautiful? Not all art is beautiful. Not all art is meant to be. Does it elevate its subject? Does it draw out thought or emotion from the viewer? Art has a material value (how much it cost to make) but also intrinsic, religious, nationalistic, and psychological value. The intrinsic value places a piece of art against the hierarchy of all other art and judges its art-ness. By that scale, we may say that crafts have low intrinsic value, even if they possess other artistic values.
Visual arts (because music, etc. doesn't enter into a discussion of arts and crafts) have formal elements that define and regulate style which is how intrinsic value is largely judged. The elements are composition, plane, balance, line, depth, perspective, space, shape, light, color, texture, and content. All arts and crafts will employ all of these to varying degrees. Execution of these elements constitutes technique. For our purposes, visual arts refers to 2D, 3D, graphic/digital art, and architecture.
craft*—an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, esp.manual skill.
By defining where crafts fall, we are also defining a specific aspect of art: Technique vs. Creation. Art is linked to creation/creativity, an emotional and intellectual process. Rules of technique are bent and changed to accommodate "the artistic process." Crafts, on the other hand, remain static once their technique has been developed (barring new technology, but that rarely changes the final look of the product). The layout of Hobby Lobby may help discern this distinction. The store is divided into 2 (for our purposes) major sections. The art supplies tend to be more expensive and less likely to come with step by step instructions, except for a few books that can be purchased separately. Crafts supplies tend to come in kits or with some pieces ready made.
A word about crafts: Many crafts, like scrapbooking, are more likely to be considered hobbies than a calling. Groups have knitting parties or swap meets. But we should recognize that crafts historically have more of a function than art does (architecture is the notable exception). Many hobbies of today were the livelihoods of craftsmen in the last century even. With the rise of the homesteading movement and the local movement (from which we get the term 'locavore'), we are seeing a recovery of craft and craftsmanship that had all but disappeared in recent decades. And I am for this. Far from being simply kitschy, crafts teach self-reliance in an industrialized world.
*FDD:
art, n. This word has no definition.
craft, n. A fool's substitute for brains.
Art is concerned with aesthetics. Is it beautiful? Not all art is beautiful. Not all art is meant to be. Does it elevate its subject? Does it draw out thought or emotion from the viewer? Art has a material value (how much it cost to make) but also intrinsic, religious, nationalistic, and psychological value. The intrinsic value places a piece of art against the hierarchy of all other art and judges its art-ness. By that scale, we may say that crafts have low intrinsic value, even if they possess other artistic values.
Visual arts (because music, etc. doesn't enter into a discussion of arts and crafts) have formal elements that define and regulate style which is how intrinsic value is largely judged. The elements are composition, plane, balance, line, depth, perspective, space, shape, light, color, texture, and content. All arts and crafts will employ all of these to varying degrees. Execution of these elements constitutes technique. For our purposes, visual arts refers to 2D, 3D, graphic/digital art, and architecture.
craft*—an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, esp.manual skill.
By defining where crafts fall, we are also defining a specific aspect of art: Technique vs. Creation. Art is linked to creation/creativity, an emotional and intellectual process. Rules of technique are bent and changed to accommodate "the artistic process." Crafts, on the other hand, remain static once their technique has been developed (barring new technology, but that rarely changes the final look of the product). The layout of Hobby Lobby may help discern this distinction. The store is divided into 2 (for our purposes) major sections. The art supplies tend to be more expensive and less likely to come with step by step instructions, except for a few books that can be purchased separately. Crafts supplies tend to come in kits or with some pieces ready made.
A word about crafts: Many crafts, like scrapbooking, are more likely to be considered hobbies than a calling. Groups have knitting parties or swap meets. But we should recognize that crafts historically have more of a function than art does (architecture is the notable exception). Many hobbies of today were the livelihoods of craftsmen in the last century even. With the rise of the homesteading movement and the local movement (from which we get the term 'locavore'), we are seeing a recovery of craft and craftsmanship that had all but disappeared in recent decades. And I am for this. Far from being simply kitschy, crafts teach self-reliance in an industrialized world.
*FDD:
art, n. This word has no definition.
craft, n. A fool's substitute for brains.
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