Decorative arts
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The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose aim is the
are major groupings.Distinction from the fine arts
The distinction between the decorative and fine arts essentially arose from the post-
The distinction between decorative and fine arts is not very useful for appreciating
The view of decoration as a 'lesser art' was formally challenged in the 1970s by writers and art historians like Amy Goldin[1] and Anne Swartz.[2] The argument for a singular narrative in art had lost traction by the close of the 20th century through post-modernist irony and increasing curatorial interest in street art and in ethnic decorative traditions. The Pattern and Decoration movement in New York galleries in the 1980s, though short-lived, opened the way to a more inclusive evaluation of the value of art objects.[3]
Influence of different materials
Modern understanding of the art of many cultures tends to be distorted by the modern privileging of fine visual arts media over others, as well as the very different survival rates of works in different media. Works in metal, above all in precious metals, are liable to be "recycled" as soon as they fall from fashion, and were often used by owners as repositories of wealth, to be melted down when extra money was needed. Illuminated manuscripts have a much higher survival rate, especially in the hands of the church, as there was little value in the materials and they were easy to store.[citation needed]
Renaissance attitudes
The promotion of the fine arts over the decorative in European thought can largely be traced to the Renaissance, when Italian theorists such as
Arts and Crafts movement
The lower status given to works of decorative art in contrast to fine art narrowed with the rise of the Arts and Crafts movement. This aesthetic movement of the second half of the 19th century was born in England and inspired by the writings of Thomas Carlyle, John Ruskin and William Morris. The movement represented the beginning of a greater appreciation of the decorative arts throughout Europe. The appeal of the Arts and Crafts movement to a new generation led the English architect and designer Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo to organize the Century Guild for craftsmen in 1882, championing the idea that there was no meaningful difference between the fine and decorative arts. Many converts, both from professional artists' ranks and from among the intellectual class as a whole, helped spread the ideas of the movement.[4]
The influence of the Arts and Crafts movement led to the decorative arts being given a greater appreciation and status in society and this was soon reflected by changes in the law. Until the enactment of the Copyright Act 1911 only works of fine art had been protected from unauthorized copying. The 1911 Act extended the definition of an "artistic work" to include works of "artistic craftsmanship".[5][6]
Mass production and customization
In the context of
One way to achieve a customized look and feel to common objects is to change their external appearance by applying decorative techniques, as in
]See also
- American craft
- Art Nouveau in Milan
- Art for art's sake
- Arts and Crafts movement
- Applied arts
- Design museum
- Faux painting
- Fine arts
- History of decorative arts
- Industrial design
- Ornament (architecture)
References and sources
- References
- ^ Goldin, Amy (September 1975). "Patterns, Grids, and Painting". Artforum. 14 (1).
- ^ "With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art 1972–1985". MOCA.
- ^ Thackara, Tess (31 January 2020). "The Pattern and Decoration Movement Challenged the Machismo of Modernism". Artsy.
- ^ Arts and Crafts movement. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "Section 35(1)", UK Legislation, Copyright Act 1911
- ^ Edmund Eldergill (2012), The Decorative Arts and Copyright, Lagoon Contemporary Furniture, archived from the original on Jul 4, 2017
- ^ Campbell, Colin. "The Craft Consumer". Journal of Consumer Culture 5.1 (2005). Print.
- Sources
- Fiell, Charlotte and Peter, eds. Decorative Art Yearbook (one for each decade of the 20th century). Translated. Bonn: Taschen, 2000.
- Fleming, John and Hugh Honour. Dictionary of the Decorative Arts. New York: Harper and Row, 1977.
- Frank, Isabelle. The Theory of Decorative Art: An Anthology of European and American Writings, 1750–1940. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
- Campbell, Gordon. The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
- Thornton, Peter. Authentic Decor: Domestic Interior, 1620–1920. London: Seven Dials, 2000.
Further reading
- Dormer, Peter (ed.), The Culture of Craft, 1997, Manchester University Press, ISBN 0719046181, 9780719046186
- Auther, Elissa, String, felt, thread: Hierarchy of art and craft in American art, 2010, University of Minnesota Press.
External links
- Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture - produced by the University of Wisconsin–Madison library system, funded by the Chipstone Foundation
- European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Decorative Arts collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
- Collection of the Mobilier National, Paris
- Furniture & Decorative Arts collection from the Museum of the City of New York
- Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo - website of the National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires, Argentina