Saturday, February 2, 2008

art vs design.....ill get the wine and brie

From Dictionary.com:

ART - the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

DESIGN - to prepare the preliminary sketch or the plans for a work to be executed, esp. to plan the form and structure of.


Throughout my art academic career, I've always viewed the assignment of defining art or design both extremely redundant, yet incredibly interesting. One of my favorite things to do is to ask my parents to define what art is, now there is a show worth watching.

I suppose it is necessary to have some semblance of a line between what art is as opposed to design in order to have it fit within the rest of acadamia and professionalism. The common belief, in my opinon, is that the artist is free to use whatever materials to express whatever emotions about whichever content they wish, whereas, the designer must do these things under the pretense of restrictions placed upon them by employers or clients to accomplish more practical goals.

The reality of it, I feel, is that to make art and to design just means "to produce". Whether a doctor discovers a cure for cancer, or I make a kickass cup of coffee, its really all subject to being called "art" or "design" or "innovation" or "discovery". (yea, my coffee is that good).

But design isnt always a good thing, as it is so glorified most of the time. What about the H-bomb, or Hummers, or the new KFC thing where they mix mashed potatoes and corn and whatever else....ew.

As Peter Parker says: "With great power comes great responsibility". and now you know.

7 comments:

Haz said...

I've given up on defining art for a while now. When people ask me what I do, I dont tell them that I'm an "artist", I always say that I'm a painter. I think in some level I'd be embarrassed to be called an artist.

I agree that design isnt always a good thing, and I could definitely say the same for art.

JMiah said...

I must agree with Jill, but also, Haz, you shouldn't be embarrassed to be called an artist, unless you view an artist as lower than a painter, which doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Even if you said 'painter' as opposed to 'illustrator' or 'designer', can we really say that one is better than the other? If we all work together to achieve a common goal, using creative means of expression and practical means of communication, is it still so sad to be called an artist? I believe Jill said it best "The common belief, in my opinion, is that the artist is free to use whatever materials to express whatever emotions about whichever content they wish, whereas, the designer must do these things under the pretense of restrictions placed upon them by employers or clients to accomplish more practical goals." We all produce stuff, good and bad, and it's the intention behind it that often defines it as such. The H-bomb wasn't made to look pretty, it was made to simulate the power of the sun, having such power that it destroys whatever is within it's fallout. And the Hummer, it was made as an army vehicle for high-powered transportation along with protection. We were wrong to market it to consumers since we don't use it for the same reasons it was designed for. Designer/artist=creative ways of solving problems, as long as it serves humanity with regard to ecology.

JMiah said...

didn't mean to harp on you Haz. Sorry.

Rachel said...

I think Jeremy made a great point when he said,"We were wrong to market it to consumers since we don't use it for the same reasons it was designed for." He's completely right, I hate seeing Hummers driving down the road next to me about to run my little car off the road, but if used in the setting the were designed for they are a great piece of design. Maybe when we think of "bad art/design" we're really just thinking about it in the wrong setting

Haz said...

I just dont like the assumptions people have of "artists". I would much rather be called a painter, it's just a preference.

artjill.com said...

Haz, I think it is a good argument that being called an artist is such a broad thing, and it carries with it so much baggage you may not want to identify yourself with. Like if I call myself a feminist, it implies a whole list of things, some of which I don't mean to take on; so I'd rather just not call myself one.

Jamie Rockwell said...

I could make an attempt at defining art right now, but I'm at work and not supposed to be surfing around on the interweb.

I just wanted to make sure that you knew that I was linking you on my page without asking, because I don't ask, I take.

Ha.