Crash Course Art History: Art vs. Design

Introduction

• Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party" installation
  • Represents 1,038 women from history
  • Features notable figures like Virginia Woolf and Sojourner Truth
  • Contains embroidered place mats, gold ceramic chalices, utensils, and plates resembling Georgia O'Keeffe's art
• Question raised: Are these works of art or something else?

Art vs. Design

• Chicago's plates can be seen as:
  • Works of design (functional objects)
  • Examples: toasters, furniture
• Design Circle vs. Art Circle:
  • Design Circle: Practical purposes
  • Art Circle: Objects for museums/Galleries meant to evoke emotion
• Intentions behind objects form the dividing line
• Examples of overlap: fashion, pottery, quilts

Historical Context

Medieval Europe

• Craft was dominant:
  • Objects with domestic function
  • Required technical skill

Renaissance Europe

• Rise of individual creativity in art
• Questions of painting/sculpting as expressions of intellect
• Shift in perspective elevating artists

18th Century France

• Decorative furniture and porcelain creations became popular
• Debate over functional yet expressive objects
  • Deni dero: Hard distinction between art (mind) and design (hand)
  • Marquee de laor: Suggested merging art and design

19th Century Developments

• Industrial Revolution and the Arts and Crafts movement:
  • Celebrated handcrafted skill
  • Example: Art Nouveau movement
• Complexities in categorizing design and art

Global Perspectives

• Artistic design outside Eurocentric narratives:
  • Example: Weaving in various cultures
  • Tampon from Sumatra: Celebratory woven image with cultural values
• Use of textiles as meaningful art
• Sapers in Congo:
  • Fashion and identity expression through clothing

Contemporary Examples

• Artists blurring lines between art and design:
  • Tii Jano's "Green Transmutation"
  • Critique of luxury and environmental concerns
• Judy Chicago's plates as meaningful art:
  • Challenges historical omissions of women
  • Merges craft and high art

Conclusion

• Ongoing debate of art vs. design:
  • Often subjective and culturally influenced
  • Creativity cannot be limited by rigid definitions
• Next topic: Colliding cultures and the rise of Modern Art
• Acknowledgments to contributors and community support through Patreon.