DECORATIVE ARTS

The term "decorative arts" is a traditional term for a rather unwieldy range of artistic disciplines
concerned with the design and ornamentation of items, usually functional, that do not necessarily have
any intrinsic aesthetic qualities. Broadly-speaking, many decorative arts are also classified as "crafts."
Also, decorative art is part of the larger category of applied art.

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Broadly understood, the decorative arts comprise objects that possess artistic qualities and were
created by skilled makers, but do not belong to the general categories of painting, sculpture, or
architecture. They include, but are not limited to, the decoration and furnishing of interiors, personal
adornment (costume and jewelry), and, later, with the rise of industrialization, product design. From its
origin in the mid-nineteenth century, methodology in decorative arts studies concentrated on
connoisseurship—dating, attribution, establishment of formal and regional categories—which became
increasingly specialized, usually divided by medium and country of origin.

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crafts/decorative-arts

How is Art different from Craft?

Weaving, painting, sculpture, pottery, photography, embroidery, macrame, etc. is it art or craft? These
are two forms of creativity that are commonly juxtaposed by the people, as they don’t see any
difference in them. But the fact is that art is different from the craft in a sense that art is a creative merit
that comes from within. On the contrary, the craft is skilled work, wherein there is an application of
technique, that people learn through much practice. Art emerges from the heart, whereas craft comes
from the mind. Here, in the given article, you may find all the important differences between art and
craft, so have a glance.

BASIS FOR COMPARISON ART CRAFT

An unstructured and boundless Craft refers to an activity,

Based on Creative merit Learned skills and technique

Serves Aesthetic purpose Decorative or functional

Emphasizes Ideas, feelings and visual qualities. Right use of tools and
materials.

Quantification Difficult Easy

Reproducible No Yes
Emergence Heart and soul Mind

Result of Innate talent Skill and experience

Key Differences Between Art and Craft

The difference between art and craft can be drawn clearly on the following grounds:

1. Art is described as an unstructured and open-ended form of work; that expresses emotions,
feelings, and vision. Craft denotes a form of work, involving the creation of physical objects, by the use
of hands and brain.

2. Art relies on artistic merit whereas craft is based on learned skills and technique.

3. Art is well known for serving an aesthetic purpose. On the other hand, craft serves human
objectives.

4. Art gives particular attention to ideas, feelings and visual qualities. Conversely, craft gives stress on
the right use of tools and materials, and the application of technique.

5. There is a flow of emotion in art, which emerges from heart and soul. In contrast, the craft is the
product of the mind.

6. Craft can be quantified easily which is not in the case of art.

7. The duplicability of art forms is not possible while craft forms can easily be copied.

8. Art is the consequence of an individual’s innate ability. On the contrary, craft is the result of
learned ability and experience.

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ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF DECORATIVE ARTS DESIGN

1. Ancient Pottery

The earliest type of decorative art was ancient pottery, notably the Jomon style Japanese ceramics
pioneered from about 14,500 BCE. It was also widely produced from about 5,000 BCE by a number of
ancient Mediterranean civilizations, before reaching its apogee in the Geometric Style, Oriental Style,
Black-Figure and Red-Figure style of Ancient Greek pottery.

Figure 2: Pottery
2. Metalwork

Another early producer of decorative art were the Celts, whose metalwork (c.500-50 BCE) created
such personal weaponry and items of jewelry, as the gold and bronze "Oak Tree of Manching" (c.350-50
BCE), the bronze "Battersea Shield" (c.350-50 BCE), the bronze "Witham Shield" (4th century BCE), the
silver "Gundestrup Cauldron" (c.100 BCE), the bronze "Petrie Crown" (100 BCE - 200 CE), the gold
"Broighter Gold Collar" (1st century BCE) and the gold "Broighter Boat" (1st century BCE). Later, Celtic
artisans in Ireland produced a number of exquisite ecclesiastical objects, and other works, such as the
Tara Brooch (c.700 CE), the Ardagh Chalice (8th/9th century CE), the Derrynaflan Chalice (8th/9th
century CE), the Moylough Belt Shrine (8th century CE), the Tully Lough Cross (8th/9th century) and the
Cross of Cong (12th century).

Figure 3: Weaponry

3. Tapestry and Textiles

These ornamental traditions were kept alive at the European royal courts of King Charlemagne I and
later Ottonian rulers, with new art forms being developed in the area of tapestry and other textiles. The
great Christian Gothic style building program then financed the development of European stained-glass
art, which it employed throughout its cathedrals in France, England, Germany and elsewhere.

Figure 4: Tapestry

4. Furniture

After this, came the Rococo school which gave a huge impetus to decorative crafts such as furniture-
making, domestic furnishings, glass, and textiles. If Baroque was rooted in architecture, the Rococo style
was rooted in interior design, the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a
healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people. This style proved exceptionally
popular in parts of Germany and central Europe. The Rococo era is also noted for the popularity
of Chinese decorative motifs, as in chinoiserie, the pseudo-Chinese style of decoration which spread
throughout Europe.

Figure 5: Chinoiserie

5. Ornamental Crafts

Ornaments is an accessory, article, or detail used to beautify the appearance of something to which it is
added or of which it is a part(architecture or interior design). Neither the socialism of the French
Revolution or the mass-production techniques of the Industrial Revolution, were conducive to the
aesthetics of ornamental crafts. As a result, it wasn't until the late 19th century, in a reaction against
machine-based products, that decorative art again came to the fore. It did so due to William Morris and
the Arts and Crafts Movement, a social and aesthetic movement which arose out of the Arts and Crafts
Exhibition Society founded in 1888, although its roots date from the 1850s and the aesthetics of the art
critic John Ruskin (1819-1900).

Figure 6: Ornamental rugs/wall papers

6. Poster Art

Meanwhile, advances in chromolithography in Paris by the French lithographer Jules Cheret (1836-1932)
led to a huge poster art craze across Europe. This merged during the 1890s with the first modern
international design style, namely Art Nouveau (popularized by groups like the Vienna Secession) which
peaked at the 1900 International Exhibition in Paris. Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) epitomized Art
Nouveau posters. Then, as Art Nouveau began to lose its edge,
Figure 7: Poster Art

7. Decorative and Applied Arts

After World War I came, the highly influential Bauhaus Design School, and afterwards the last major
decorative movement emerged, known as Art Deco. Art Deco, short for Arts Décoratifs, is characterized
by rich colors, bold geometry, and decadent detail work. Applied Arts is when themes like floral and
geometric designs are used to improve the aesthetic values of functional objects.

Figure 8: Art Deco

8. Needlework including Embroidery

During the 1970s, in America, the Feminist art movement came out strongly in favor of traditional
female-inspired decorative crafts, including needlework, embroidery, glass art and ceramics. See, for
instance, "The Dinner Party" (1979, Brooklyn Museum, New York), by Judy Chicago (b.1939), which
championed these skills.

Figure 9: Needlework or embroidery