-
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!