Is Art Utility Oriented?
Craft encompasses the design and decoration of objects which are basically utility oriented rather than decoration, although chiefly they are more than mere utilities in terms of their aesthetic values. They adorn & beautify …
Art & Craft as against art for art’s sake revolves around the utility principle. If we go back in history to the earlier period, any artifact or tool used always had a purpose. The excavations from the historical sites amply demonstrate the fact that no tool or chisel was invented just for fun! They needed something to cut, open, dig or tear. Everything had a purpose, every move intentional. Since when or why this idea art for art’s sake originated? Art for art’s sake is a slogan translated from the French. l’art pour l’art means art for art’s sake that came into existence in the early 19th century. The French philosopher Victor Cousin made this famous phrase that expresses the belief, art needs no utility or purpose and that it can exist without any justification.
Craft and artisan work involves making those beautiful artifacts in locally available materials like clay and mud. In addition, substances like Ceramics and other objects are most commonly associated with the decorative arts. Furthermore, decorative arts involve basketry, jewelry and furniture involving the locally available materials in each region. It follows then, that the types of decorative arts varies from place to place. There are still other arts in textiles and clothing particularly a case in point is the batik prints from India. Batik print saris are adorned with Batik as the creative medium for decorating using wax and dye. Both an art and a craft, it has been practiced for centuries originating in Java, Indonesia and migrated to India 2000 years back!