1 00:00:00,099 --> 00:00:02,800 What exactly is the 'decorative arts?' 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,120 Is it art made for decoration? 3 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:07,330 Like things that decorate the walls of your house? 4 00:00:07,330 --> 00:00:09,190 Well, not exactly. 5 00:00:09,190 --> 00:00:13,350 Because a painting can decorate the walls of your house but painting are usually considered 6 00:00:13,350 --> 00:00:14,350 fine art. 7 00:00:14,350 --> 00:00:19,590 In general, the decorative arts is defined as “the design and aesthetics of functional 8 00:00:19,590 --> 00:00:25,740 and utilitarian objects, often with an emphasis on unique and hand-crafted forms. 9 00:00:25,740 --> 00:00:31,090 Examples are furniture, pottery, basketry, textiles, metalworks, and stained glass. 10 00:00:31,090 --> 00:00:36,390 As opposed to most Fine Arts objects which usually have no other purpose than to be viewed 11 00:00:36,390 --> 00:00:39,170 and appreciated, like paintings and sculptures. 12 00:00:39,170 --> 00:00:44,359 But as you can tell with my use of words like "in general", "mostly", and "usually" that 13 00:00:44,359 --> 00:00:47,219 there are many fuzzy edges to this definition. 14 00:00:47,220 --> 00:00:51,220 And in my opinion, also sometimes many problems with this definition. 15 00:00:54,140 --> 00:00:58,979 The fuzzy edges often come from question like “well what exactly do you mean by functional 16 00:00:58,979 --> 00:01:00,399 and utilitarian?” 17 00:01:00,399 --> 00:01:04,750 Are embroideries that are not meant to be used in clothing or furniture, but only meant 18 00:01:04,750 --> 00:01:09,460 to be appreciated for their beauty considered decorative arts or fine arts? 19 00:01:09,460 --> 00:01:14,110 Wood carvings and woodworking pieces are usually considered to be decorative arts, but what 20 00:01:14,110 --> 00:01:17,909 exactly is the utilitarian function of a ceremonial wood carving? 21 00:01:17,909 --> 00:01:21,270 Unless you consider religious devotion to be "utilitarian." 22 00:01:21,270 --> 00:01:26,649 But by this definition, paintings used in church altar pieces are also used for religious 23 00:01:26,649 --> 00:01:30,450 devotion, but those paintings are usually considered to be fine art. 24 00:01:30,450 --> 00:01:34,760 One of the problems is that historically, in Western European cultures, objects that 25 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:39,500 were considered to be "decorative art" were considered distinctively different from the 26 00:01:39,509 --> 00:01:44,719 fine arts, and in many cases also less worthy of appreciation and academic study. 27 00:01:44,719 --> 00:01:49,330 This separation of the definitions doesn’t apply to every cultures in the world. 28 00:01:49,330 --> 00:01:54,729 For instance East Asian, Islamic and Indigenous American cultures historically did not make 29 00:01:54,729 --> 00:01:57,469 a separation between decorative and fine arts. 30 00:01:57,469 --> 00:02:01,869 Chinese lacquer works, jade carvings, and Ming dynasty vases were considered just as 31 00:02:01,869 --> 00:02:05,399 artistically sophisticated as ink wash paintings. 32 00:02:05,399 --> 00:02:10,420 Japanese origami would be considered a decorative art by western standards, but most East Asian 33 00:02:10,420 --> 00:02:15,820 cultures consider paper cuttings and paper folding to be a sophisticated form of fine art. 34 00:02:15,820 --> 00:02:22,360 Many Islamic periods were dominated by works like rug weavings, embroidery, ceramics and mosaics. 35 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:27,800 However, in the context of Western European categorization, works made by entire cultures 36 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:34,030 were categorized as decorative arts, often viewed through the lens of utilitarian objects 37 00:02:34,030 --> 00:02:39,230 rather than sophisticated works of fine arts, which offers some insight into these cultures 38 00:02:39,230 --> 00:02:42,290 but are not always the best way to view these objects. 39 00:02:42,290 --> 00:02:47,790 Another issue is that things like basket weaving, textile, and pottery making were historically 40 00:02:47,790 --> 00:02:53,540 artistic realms that women actually had an opportunity to excel in, as opposed to disciplines 41 00:02:53,540 --> 00:02:59,560 like painting and sculpture, which women were essentially restricted from participating in. 42 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:04,760 But because practices like pottery, basketry and textiles were not considered to be fine 43 00:03:04,770 --> 00:03:11,080 art, and thus not considered worthy of being displayed, sold on the art market, studied, 44 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:12,270 or appreciated. 45 00:03:12,270 --> 00:03:18,370 And thus, this perspective further marginalized, diminished, and even erased women's accomplishments 46 00:03:18,370 --> 00:03:19,770 throughout history. 47 00:03:19,770 --> 00:03:24,470 Nowadays, many contemporary artists no longer subscribe to this distinction between the 48 00:03:24,470 --> 00:03:26,440 fine arts and the decorative arts. 49 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:31,160 Many artists work in a mixture of media that include traditional practices such as painting, 50 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:36,500 drawing and sculpting, but also things like woodwork, textiles, metalwork and ceramics. 51 00:03:36,500 --> 00:03:41,420 For example the artist Carl Beam was known for his mixed media paintings composed of 52 00:03:41,420 --> 00:03:48,000 oil, acrylic and photo transfers, but he also produced works in woodworking and ceramic pottery. 53 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:53,140 The artist Christi Belcourt also often plays with viewers' expectations by producing works 54 00:03:53,140 --> 00:03:59,730 that are inspired by Indigenous American bandolier bags, but are made with acrylic on canvas. 55 00:03:59,730 --> 00:04:04,840 So, in this instance, similar to many other instances when studying history and culture, 56 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:10,320 broad and generalizing terms can be helpful in aiding our understanding, but it can also 57 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:11,320 be limiting. 58 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:16,230 I find it interesting to consider how artistic expressions can be interwoven through everyday 59 00:04:16,230 --> 00:04:20,000 life and every day objects, and doesn’t have to be limited to those things we make 60 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,840 in art class or those displayed in galleries. 61 00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:27,790 In the comments please let me know of an artwork, or type of artwork that you enjoy but would 62 00:04:27,790 --> 00:04:32,210 be considered "decorative arts” based on the aforementioned definition, and tell me 63 00:04:32,210 --> 00:04:33,530 why you like it. 64 00:04:33,530 --> 00:04:37,490 And if you enjoyed this video and would like to see more please hit the subscribe button 65 00:04:37,490 --> 00:04:39,420 so you can see more in the future. 66 00:04:39,420 --> 00:04:40,580 [snaps fingers] Bye!