Art or Craft?

[DarwinStrings]

This is my latest piece for a future solo exhibition. As a group of skilled craftsmen I would be interested in reading your opinions on the difference between art and craft.

woodland floor.jpg (91.82 KiB) Viewed 10691 times

Jim life is good when you are amongst the woodland.

[Ron Wisdom]

Very nice, and there is still the opportunity to add a cutaway.

Ron

[Nick]

I'd like to know the differences between art.... just on it's own! Apparently art is a subjective thing (or so I'm told when I say something is crap). Some of the 'installations' I've seen around campus here by the art students certainly have me scratching my head in a WTF moment. It would seem that the catchier the title of the piece, the more it is lauded by the 'experts' & I , apparently, have failed to grasp the significance of what the piece is trying to say.
So if you can come up with a really great name for your piece I can see it going down well with the art fraternity. Could I suggest chucking in either of the words "Struggle" "Attempt" "Man's" & either "faded" or "shaded" somewhere in the title

[kiwigeo]

Give ya $20,000 for it Jim.

[Lillian]

For me, the difference is that art is something to look at/listen to and enjoy. The use of the word craft does not comment on the object aesthetics or level of care not taken when creating, meaning that it is in some way a lesser creation, but an indication that it is to be interacted with and not just admired.

[DarwinStrings]

Thanks for the comments, aesthetics in visual art seem to have been taken over by lengthy blurbs nowadays Lillian as Nick has mentioned it seems that the title is more important that any aesthetically pleasing quality, that is, it's the thought that counts. My personal opinion (which counts for nothing in the art world) is that, aesthetics have been pushed aside and I find myself scratching my head and using words like "crap". Like you Lillian if I can't look at and enjoy the experience then I wonder if it is art (philistine) even if I know the blurb and understand that it is in fact art. Like Nick I often fail to grasp what the piece is trying to say, is that me or did the artist fail to get the point across to me. I think Martin you have also made a good point about the difference between art and craft, if I take a cow and slice in in half then shove it in a glass case my chainsaw craft may be admired as well as my display case cabinetry but I would not command the same price as Damien Hirst would.

Thanks Ron and remember it is art, the cutaway is there if you want it to be in your choice of Florentine or Venetian.

Also Martin, you were a bit quick for me. I was about to e-mail everyone glossy brochures and prices, so although your offer is a little under my asking price I am happy to provide discount prices for ANZLF members, offer accepted.

As this is art it does come with a wafty blurb and am hoping that all of you guys can see the point with out me having to spell it out, anybody want to have a stab at that?

Jim

Edit... By the way, that is Cooktown ironwood, 7 pieces all up.

[sebastiaan56]

Its only art if it is accompanied by an "Artistic Statement" until then it's craft..... It helps is the creator has a personal tragedy story as well.

Nice work, I wont crack any "leaves an impression" or "air guitar" jokes. You're another of them clever bugga's arent you Jim

[DarwinStrings]

Its only art if it is accompanied by an "Artistic Statement" until then it's craft.

That would fit the Arts Council description Sebastiaan. I wonder how long it will be before dictionaries update to suit the "art" world.

Jim

[sebastiaan56]

You do have a license to produce art dont you Jim, I wouldnt want to have to dob you in

Reminds of the Blues Brothers, I couldnt find the clip but Im sure you know the scene;

"An RV pulls into the parking lot.

JAKE
Goddammit.

Jake and Elwood walk towards the RV as the Good Ole Boys are getting out.

JAKE
Excuse me gentlemen are you the Good Ole Boys?

LEADER
Yeah, that's right, I'm Tucker McElroy, lead singer, driver of the Winnebago. Listen I'd like to talk to you son but were running very late.

Jake holds up a crunched cigarette packet very quickly as though it were an ID badge of some kind.

JAKE
My name is Jacob Stein, the American Federation of Musicians Union local 200. I've been sent here to see if you gentlemen are carrying your permits.

LEADER
Our what?

JAKE
Your Union cards. May I see your cards please?

LEADER
S'pose we ain't got no union cards and we go in there and start playing anyway. Now what you gonna do about that? You gonna stop us? Stein? You're gonna look pretty funny trying to eat corn on the cob with no fucking teeth."

[DarwinStrings]

I reckon Tucker McElroy just about summed up my feeling towards the establishment there Sebastiaan

Jim

[Matt Bach]

My first thoughts were "that's just a cool stick". Which, in some respects, it is.

Then I remembered the first time my mother swore at me. She is an artist, and used to take me to heaps of exhibitions when I was younger. One night, I remember looking at some "abstract" art which was really just paint spattered all over canvasses (literally). I thought it was just terrible (I can appreciate Pollock but this was more like bullocks). My mum asked me what I thought of it, and I said "it's really crap, I could have done that"

Then she hit me over the head, and said "well, you fucking didn't, did you?" - and there it was. I will remember it forever. The best lesson I've ever learned about art.

[DarwinStrings]

I understand your mum's point Matt. It does seem though if we have a negative opinion about the aesthetics of a piece of art and we utter that opinion then we have breached some sort of taboo.

Thanks for the "cool stick" remark, I take it from that that you would not use the word crap to describe the aesthetics of that particular piece, and I thank you for not hurting my feelings . Although you may use crap as a description for some of my other work.

Jim