What exactly is the 'decorative arts?'

Is it art made for decoration?

Like things that decorate the walls of your
house?

Well, not exactly.

Because a painting can decorate the walls
of your house but painting are usually considered

fine art.

In general, the decorative arts is defined
as “the design and aesthetics of functional

and utilitarian objects, often with an emphasis
on unique and hand-crafted forms.

Examples are furniture, pottery, basketry,
textiles, metalworks, and stained glass.

As opposed to most Fine Arts objects which
usually have no other purpose than to be viewed

and appreciated, like paintings and sculptures.

But as you can tell with my use of words like
"in general", "mostly", and "usually" that

there are many fuzzy edges to this definition.

And in my opinion, also sometimes many problems
with this definition.

The fuzzy edges often come from question like
“well what exactly do you mean by functional

and utilitarian?”

Are embroideries that are not meant to be
used in clothing or furniture, but only meant

to be appreciated for their beauty considered
decorative arts or fine arts?

Wood carvings and woodworking pieces are usually
considered to be decorative arts, but what

exactly is the utilitarian function of a ceremonial
wood carving?

Unless you consider religious devotion to
be "utilitarian."

But by this definition, paintings used in
church altar pieces are also used for religious

devotion, but those paintings are usually
considered to be fine art.

One of the problems is that historically,
in Western European cultures, objects that

were considered to be "decorative art" were
considered distinctively different from the

fine arts, and in many cases also less worthy
of appreciation and academic study.

This separation of the definitions doesn’t
apply to every cultures in the world.

For instance East Asian, Islamic and Indigenous
American cultures historically did not make

a separation between decorative and fine arts.

Chinese lacquer works, jade carvings, and
Ming dynasty vases were considered just as

artistically sophisticated as ink wash paintings.

Japanese origami would be considered a decorative
art by western standards, but most East Asian

cultures consider paper cuttings and paper
folding to be a sophisticated form of fine art.

Many Islamic periods were dominated by works
like rug weavings, embroidery, ceramics and mosaics.

However, in the context of Western European
categorization, works made by entire cultures

were categorized as decorative arts, often
viewed through the lens of utilitarian objects

rather than sophisticated works of fine arts,
which offers some insight into these cultures

but are not always the best way to view these
objects.

Another issue is that things like basket weaving,
textile, and pottery making were historically

artistic realms that women actually had an
opportunity to excel in, as opposed to disciplines

like painting and sculpture, which women were
essentially restricted from participating in.

But because practices like pottery, basketry
and textiles were not considered to be fine

art, and thus not considered worthy of being
displayed, sold on the art market, studied,

or appreciated.

And thus, this perspective further marginalized,
diminished, and even erased women's accomplishments

throughout history.

Nowadays, many contemporary artists no longer
subscribe to this distinction between the

fine arts and the decorative arts.

Many artists work in a mixture of media that
include traditional practices such as painting,

drawing and sculpting, but also things like
woodwork, textiles, metalwork and ceramics.

For example the artist Carl Beam was known
for his mixed media paintings composed of

oil, acrylic and photo transfers, but he also
produced works in woodworking and ceramic pottery.

The artist Christi Belcourt also often plays
with viewers' expectations by producing works

that are inspired by Indigenous American bandolier
bags, but are made with acrylic on canvas.

So, in this instance, similar to many other
instances when studying history and culture,

broad and generalizing terms can be helpful
in aiding our understanding, but it can also

be limiting.

I find it interesting to consider how artistic
expressions can be interwoven through everyday

life and every day objects, and doesn’t
have to be limited to those things we make

in art class or those displayed in galleries.

In the comments please let me know of an artwork,
or type of artwork that you enjoy but would

be considered "decorative arts” based on
the aforementioned definition, and tell me

why you like it.

And if you enjoyed this video and would like
to see more please hit the subscribe button

so you can see more in the future.

[snaps fingers] Bye!