Can art be functional and design artistic Essay

Can art be functional and design artistic - Essay Example According to Hansson (2005), artworks such as paintings, poems, plays, etc. are created exclusively for the intention of providing aesthetic experiences. Nevertheless, the field of architecture and industrial design, objects are made not only made with the purpose of fulfilling the aesthetic criterion, but also mainly of service and function. This concept gives rise to functional arts, which refers to art that has a purpose such as furniture, pottery etc. The combination of these two characteristics led to the evaluation of how these two characteristics of arts relate to each other. Furthermore, this paper aims to discuss if art can both be functional and design artistic. Visual Arts Visual arts refer to art forms that are fundamentally visual in nature. Examples of these are painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, design, filmmaking, video and architecture, ceramics, printmaking, and crafts (Sutton, 2000). However, such definition encompasses other artistic disciplines such as co nceptual arts, performing arts, and textile arts as well as applied arts, which include industrial design, fashion design, graphic design, and decorative arts (Leaman, 2004). In addition, this concept of visual arts cannot always be the case applied in modern art. The distinction of its usage, however, was accentuated by the artists in whose interests in vernacular art forms were valued in as much of excellent forms of art during the Arts and Crafts Movement. During this period in the 20th century, an individual can only be considered as an artist if he works under the discipline of fine arts, which includes painting or sculpture. An individual is known otherwise if he works on handicrafts alone which founded a strong contrast between fine arts and crafts because the latter was not considered to be a form of a visual art at this era (Barone & Eisner, 2012). Also, the practice of visual arts may be attributed to historical aspects that prompted traditional artists to probe into the c hanging dynamics embedded into the visual culture as manifested in the application of knowledge in the arts. Among all other forms of visual arts, painting is regarded as the highest form of visual art in Western and Eastern regions because of its complexity and aesthetic effects. In China, scholar painting is considered to be the highest technique of painting (Sullivan, 2010, p. 3). Functional and Design Artistic In a general sense, a form of art is constrained in its function. Instead of using art as the artist’s way of expressing his or her inner thoughts, feelings, or emotions, the visual nature of an art can have a greater value when its graphic form or appeal has a functional characteristic. This type of artwork is referred to as functional arts, which do not only bring an aesthetic attribute to the design, but a function that serves it purpose to mankind. The creation of this design centers on the fusion of environmental elements complementing each environmental charac teristic and striking a balance of nature and design (Cairo, 2012). Significantly, such characteristic contributes to a better appreciation in gaining a valuable insight or understanding the relationship between the art form and its function. For instance, most objects of the Indian art form are normally used in performing a service like using certain objects as a container, or providing other means of worship (Dockstadder, 2013). Another example of functional arts is the furniture at