My bloggy mate Em Hawker Blogs inspired this post, when she shared this image on Facebook, with the caption:
This totally counts as modern art, right? Meerkat in Shell. By A. Hawker. #modernart #nailedit
I must confess: I don’t get art. Or more specifically, what the difference is between art and craft.
When Miss 19 was doing Art in Year 12, she was inspired to create artists books for her major project.
But when she brought in her research and her first attempts, the teacher quickly shot her down in flames.
“You need to make it more arty, and not so crafty,” she said.
Say what?!
Sadly, Miss 19 lost her enthusiasm after that. She painted a canvas using mixed media instead as that was clearly what the teacher wanted, and Miss 19 wanted to pass the subject. But it wasn’t her expressing herself at all – and isn’t that what art is all about?!
It seems that the uglier something is, the more the arty people get excited over it.
If it’s actually something recognisable, something that’s aesthetically pleasing – well, that’s craft, don’t you know?! (Raise eyebrows and look down nose snootily … ).
I also find the interpretations of art works pretty silly, when the critics discuss what the artist was trying to say. Puh-leeze. I’m sure they read far more into it than what was actually intended.
Take this piece for example.
“Here we have a clear example of a soul in pain. The circles represent the futility of life, the dark against the white is a stark reminder of how alone in the universe he feels. We can see the depth of his pain by the intensity of the ink. A marvellous thought-provoking piece!”
And in reality? The artist accidentally spilled his coffee on a blank sheet and had fun playing with it. LOL.
So back to my original question: what IS the difference between art and craft? In my opinion:
- If it’s butt ugly and useless, it’s art.
- If it’s recognisable, and pleasing to the eye, it’s craft.
What do you think is the difference between art and craft?!