WEBVTT 00:00:00.099 --> 00:00:02.800 What exactly is the 'decorative arts?' 00:00:02.800 --> 00:00:05.120 Is it art made for decoration? 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:07.330 Like things that decorate the walls of your house? 00:00:07.330 --> 00:00:09.190 Well, not exactly. 00:00:09.190 --> 00:00:13.350 Because a painting can decorate the walls of your house but painting are usually considered 00:00:13.350 --> 00:00:14.350 fine art. 00:00:14.350 --> 00:00:19.590 In general, the decorative arts is defined as “the design and aesthetics of functional 00:00:19.590 --> 00:00:25.740 and utilitarian objects, often with an emphasis on unique and hand-crafted forms. 00:00:25.740 --> 00:00:31.090 Examples are furniture, pottery, basketry, textiles, metalworks, and stained glass. 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 00:00:36.390 --> 00:00:39.170 and appreciated, like paintings and sculptures. 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 00:00:44.359 --> 00:00:47.219 there are many fuzzy edges to this definition. 00:00:47.220 --> 00:00:51.220 And in my opinion, also sometimes many problems with this definition. 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:58.979 The fuzzy edges often come from question like “well what exactly do you mean by functional 00:00:58.979 --> 00:01:00.399 and utilitarian?” 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:04.750 Are embroideries that are not meant to be used in clothing or furniture, but only meant 00:01:04.750 --> 00:01:09.460 to be appreciated for their beauty considered decorative arts or fine arts? 00:01:09.460 --> 00:01:14.110 Wood carvings and woodworking pieces are usually considered to be decorative arts, but what 00:01:14.110 --> 00:01:17.909 exactly is the utilitarian function of a ceremonial wood carving? 00:01:17.909 --> 00:01:21.270 Unless you consider religious devotion to be "utilitarian." 00:01:21.270 --> 00:01:26.649 But by this definition, paintings used in church altar pieces are also used for religious 00:01:26.649 --> 00:01:30.450 devotion, but those paintings are usually considered to be fine art. 00:01:30.450 --> 00:01:34.760 One of the problems is that historically, in Western European cultures, objects that 00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:39.500 were considered to be "decorative art" were considered distinctively different from the 00:01:39.509 --> 00:01:44.719 fine arts, and in many cases also less worthy of appreciation and academic study. 00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:49.330 This separation of the definitions doesn’t apply to every cultures in the world. 00:01:49.330 --> 00:01:54.729 For instance East Asian, Islamic and Indigenous American cultures historically did not make 00:01:54.729 --> 00:01:57.469 a separation between decorative and fine arts. 00:01:57.469 --> 00:02:01.869 Chinese lacquer works, jade carvings, and Ming dynasty vases were considered just as 00:02:01.869 --> 00:02:05.399 artistically sophisticated as ink wash paintings. 00:02:05.399 --> 00:02:10.420 Japanese origami would be considered a decorative art by western standards, but most East Asian 00:02:10.420 --> 00:02:15.820 cultures consider paper cuttings and paper folding to be a sophisticated form of fine art. 00:02:15.820 --> 00:02:22.360 Many Islamic periods were dominated by works like rug weavings, embroidery, ceramics and mosaics. 00:02:22.360 --> 00:02:27.800 However, in the context of Western European categorization, works made by entire cultures 00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:34.030 were categorized as decorative arts, often viewed through the lens of utilitarian objects 00:02:34.030 --> 00:02:39.230 rather than sophisticated works of fine arts, which offers some insight into these cultures 00:02:39.230 --> 00:02:42.290 but are not always the best way to view these objects. 00:02:42.290 --> 00:02:47.790 Another issue is that things like basket weaving, textile, and pottery making were historically 00:02:47.790 --> 00:02:53.540 artistic realms that women actually had an opportunity to excel in, as opposed to disciplines 00:02:53.540 --> 00:02:59.560 like painting and sculpture, which women were essentially restricted from participating in. 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:04.760 But because practices like pottery, basketry and textiles were not considered to be fine 00:03:04.770 --> 00:03:11.080 art, and thus not considered worthy of being displayed, sold on the art market, studied, 00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:12.270 or appreciated. 00:03:12.270 --> 00:03:18.370 And thus, this perspective further marginalized, diminished, and even erased women's accomplishments 00:03:18.370 --> 00:03:19.770 throughout history. 00:03:19.770 --> 00:03:24.470 Nowadays, many contemporary artists no longer subscribe to this distinction between the 00:03:24.470 --> 00:03:26.440 fine arts and the decorative arts. 00:03:26.440 --> 00:03:31.160 Many artists work in a mixture of media that include traditional practices such as painting, 00:03:31.160 --> 00:03:36.500 drawing and sculpting, but also things like woodwork, textiles, metalwork and ceramics. 00:03:36.500 --> 00:03:41.420 For example the artist Carl Beam was known for his mixed media paintings composed of 00:03:41.420 --> 00:03:48.000 oil, acrylic and photo transfers, but he also produced works in woodworking and ceramic pottery. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:53.140 The artist Christi Belcourt also often plays with viewers' expectations by producing works 00:03:53.140 --> 00:03:59.730 that are inspired by Indigenous American bandolier bags, but are made with acrylic on canvas. 00:03:59.730 --> 00:04:04.840 So, in this instance, similar to many other instances when studying history and culture, 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:10.320 broad and generalizing terms can be helpful in aiding our understanding, but it can also 00:04:10.320 --> 00:04:11.320 be limiting. 00:04:11.320 --> 00:04:16.230 I find it interesting to consider how artistic expressions can be interwoven through everyday 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 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:22.840 in art class or those displayed in galleries. 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 00:04:27.790 --> 00:04:32.210 be considered "decorative arts” based on the aforementioned definition, and tell me 00:04:32.210 --> 00:04:33.530 why you like it. 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 00:04:37.490 --> 00:04:39.420 so you can see more in the future. 00:04:39.420 --> 00:04:40.580 [snaps fingers] Bye!