Art and craft--was: Re: Testing the Boundaries
DukeAndrew
>without craft, I say yes.<
I definitely agree. As far as art vs craft goes, a well crafted item may
have absolutely no apparent art in its' composition and may last as a
functional item for several generations, whereas an art piece may fall apart at
the slightest jarring. Now when I think of ART (Master level), it is always
associated with good craftsmanship. The museums are where many (most) good
examples of true Mater level ART winds up.
>I however prefer to make things that others think up.
>Or rather I bring to life, other people's dreams.<
Me too. I love teaching best of all.
Andrew
Ya gotta be smarter than a rock to pick up a rock.
william thomas powers
>have absolutely no apparent art in its' composition and may last as a
>functional item for several generations, whereas an art piece may fall apart at
>the slightest jarring. Now when I think of ART (Master level), it is always
>associated with good craftsmanship. The museums are where many (most) good
>examples of true Mater level ART winds up.
Well there are stories all through history of "masters" trying new stuff and
having problems; wasn't it Leonardo or Michealangalo who tried to work
with walnut oil and had trouble with it drying?
The Smithsonian magazine also had an interesting article on the problems
they were havin conserving much modern art and modern objects---like
spacesuits!
Thomas
Chris Ray
>they were havin conserving much modern art and modern objects---like
>spacesuits!
This may run off the main topic a little but I do think that one of the most
promising career paths for one interested in the arts in the coming years will
be conservation itself.
There is so much work made since the 1950's that is in disrepair right now in
the museums and in some cases I'm sure that they can ever be restored.
Unfortunately I don't believe that permanence of materials is being taught in
any of the art schools anymore so there is nearly no understanding about
longevity and the fragility of materiasl that many artists are using now.
Of course this is less of a problem for folks working in metals though but even
so, sound practice and technique still prevails.
Chris Ray
Crocus Design Works - web site design
http://www.chrisray.com/webdesign
Ron Cowell
I mean that to most people "craft work" does not equal something that
came from a craftsman. All one has to do is attend a craft show to see
that no talent is really needed to produce crafts this fits as well with
many art shows I have gone to it is sad to see the decline in
workmanship for the sake of the all mighty dollar.
Sorry this is a sore spot
David
were taught in art school that "craft" was a lesser thing than "true
art". So there was a lot of crappy stuff being produced at that
school!
Yet I have found that there is kernal of truth in what they were
trying to say. A lot of the craft pieces I see tend to be "clever" in
the sense of "look how good I am" at this particular process. A sort
of gee-whiz approach to the craft. And there is nothing wrong with
that.
I reserve the word "art" for an object or event that carries the
potential to change a person's perspective on the world. Something
that affects you so strongly that you're not the same person you were
before encountering the art piece. Anyway this is what I, as an
artist, am trying to do.
So what becomes important is the intention of the piece being created.
Everything else is secondary; including craftsmanship. But what
happens with my work is that poor workmanship gets in the way of
putting forth my intentions in the piece, therefore craftsmanship is
absolutly nessesary to the final product. But it is a secondary
consideration. Because, for example, it might be nessesary to have a
piece convey a sense of "falling apartness and decay". So I would then
intentionally use shoddy techniques to convey the primary intention.
The key is that I conciously choose the technique most suited to the
overarching purpose of making the piece in the first place.
This is how we were taught at that art school: Find the
intention/purpose of the art first, and then learn the technique
nessesary to achive that intention. This is completely backwards from
the "old school" method of apprenticing under a master and then being
allowed to create only after becomeing fully proficient at the
process.
I've seen over the years a lot of excellent craftspersons who become
"seduced" by the medium. They get so carried away by the beauty of the
materials and processes that the original intentions of transformative
art takes a back seat to the "gee-whiz look what I can do" attitude. I
see this a lot with people who work in glass, but the romance of
blacksmithing can be pretty seductive as well.
But please, don't get me wrong...sometimes there's nothing like a good
seduction to get the spirit in motion! I've spent many a month messing
around with some really cool material and loving every minute of it.
My studio is full of these "studies". They're a lot of fun, but I
wouldn't call them art.
I am by far no master of the craft of blacksmithing. But as I'm
working on a piece and I realize that some technique will enhance the
intention, then I will go and learn the process and do it right. The
information that I've gleaned from this newsgroup has helped a lot.
And for that I'm greatful.
David Hollen
Los Angeles, CA
Eastburn
e.g. 1 in 4 years or to townsfolk in the summer/weekend.
Artist is a professional. All of us do crafts of one type or another.
A professional water color painter might be in craft skills in pottery or welding.
e.g. took 1,2,3 classes in them - spent 20 years an dozens of classes for paint.
That is my give.
Kinda like me - I program in C. I'm not a C programmer!
Martin
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NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
Martin Eastburn, Barbara Eastburn
@ home on our computer old...@pacbell.net
Warner
: This is an issue that's been central to my career as an artist. We
Well said. Thank you.
-Warner
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