What is the difference between art and craft?

Question

Why do you pay more for a painting than something functional?

Answer 1

Check out this: http://www.denisdutton.com/rnz_craft.htm

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Quoted from the Wiki:

Fine art refers to arts that are "concerned with beauty or which appealed to taste"

Crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's own hands and skill.

A craft is a skill, especially involving practical arts. It may refer to a trade or particular art.

From that I would put forward that there is lots and lots of crossover, as I have seen antlers carved into beautiful cups and combs, and would definately call it art, although it was done at the hands of a consummate craftsman.

So perhaps you could say that the craft is the skill itself, and maybe most of what a craftsman produces should be called art.

As to the second portion of your question, you don't always pay more for fine art than you do for something functional. Of course, a gallon of paint is cheaper than the framed original art piece, but I'll tell you, if you could cool your food or wash your clothes with a Renoir print, I'd sure go for it!

Answer 4

"Arts and Crafts" is a term for a philosophy of producing decorative objects by hand rather than using an industrial process. It values handcraftsmanship over the use of industrial machines and equipment. This is the usage from which "arts and crafts" as a subject to be studied in school or at camp came from, or the department of "arts and crafts" in a department store. "Art" is the creation of beautiful things or significant things, the use of creativity in accomplishing a goal, the use of skill to produce a visual representation of an idea, and the like. We speak of "the art and science of management" to imply that while some successful management skills can be studied and learned and work the same way every time (science), others require inborn creativity and will work for some but not for others (art). "Craft" describes the product of skilled labor or a type of work that requires skilled labor. The product itself may be "handcrafted" or "machine crafted." For example, machining and tool and dye manufacture are a skilled craft. Knitting is a craft that requires skill. Brewing beer is a craft when done in small batches ("craft beer") and an industrial process when done in huge batches by automated machinery.

Answer 5

Generally, art is considered to be something that is the result of years of study. Crafts are seen as things that people can make without a great deal of education and are usually taught in an informal manner.

Answer 6

Intention...sometimes art can be craft, say you are commenting on american pop culture. It depends if it is intended to be art, to make a statment, to be expressive etc. That is how I would define the difference. I have actually discussed this at length in art school and that is the best that I have come up with.

Answer 7

The letters C, F and the order of the letter.

lol

Generally the difference is what you mentioned - utility. But some would also consider it to be the amount of talent necessary to produce. With this way of looking at it, crafts are everyman's outlet for creativity, while art is the production of rare talents.

Answer 8

I do both. I think that a craft is something almost anyone can do. An art takes much more skill!

Answer 9

Art is done for aesthetic purposes while craft is done for utilitarian purposes. One does not preclude the other. Artistic craft fetches as much or more money than a painting.

Answer 10

art is something u do to make beauty. its appreciated. its best comparative quality against craft is that its "unique". and most of the time its done for decorative purposes.

craft is something u practice and do for functionality. its done in mass production. like woodcraft. people don't usually say wood-art.

u'd pay more for a painting because its the only one of its kind, and its a direct trademark of the maker/artist. a functional work can be done several times so...it kinda looses its value. like chairs.

Answer 11

art requires more 'artistic' skills such as being able to draw and paint to an acceptable degree whereas craft is cutting and sticking and although the 'artistic views' are still required ie being able to come up with ideas; the actually ability level needed is less with craft.