Introduction
The everyday objects surrounding people throughout life, including home, work, and other environments, are significantly defined by the religious ceremonies and ritual settings originally peculiar to these works of art. Over the years, decorative arts were differentiated from the fine arts, including “paintings, sculpture, graphics, and architecture,” and were generally categorized as crafts (Getlein 278). With this said, it is crucial to examine the modern interpretation of such types of art and their contribution to the development of contemporary art nowadays.
Arts Decline in Modern Era
The Arts and Crafts movement was primarily concentrated on the decorative and fine arts, highlighting the role of traditional craftsmanship in the face of industrialization. It was a critical tendency with a deep influence on the creative generation and daily lives in the nineteenth century, as the Arts and Crafts Movement encouraged economic and social reform (Getlein 279). However, these art types and the emphasis on the traditional art craft faced a steady decline because of few main reasons. First, the beginning of the war in 1914 set the beginning of the destructive crisis for the movement’s complete rejection of a commercial role.
The representatives of the Arts and Crafts movement were defined as design radicals who impacted the modern movement, although they fail to adapt to change within a new, contemporary shift in the art industry. According to Morris and Voysey, a decline in craftsmanship aptitudes was linked to the increased use of machines in the modern era, which seized artistic development (Getlein 277). Therefore, the advent of digitalization and modernization caused the decay of traditional crafts, as the main ideas of the Arts and Crafts movement were replaced by the cheap commercialism of mass-producing.
Preservation of Arts and Crafts Nowadays
Even though the craftsmanship skills and role in art have considerably decreased, the movement still has substantial implications on the modern art climate. Such a dramatic turnover in the creative space worldwide has, to a great extent, raised public awareness concerning the value of hand-made objects and traditional skills (Getlein 277). The preservation of such arts today is marked by its vibrant identity in the modern studio crafts, enhancing the outlook of current cultural life. This includes independent artists who practice the long-established artistic talent in “woodworking, glassblowing, and weaving” (Getlein 280). Additionally, there are more common ways to keep the conventional artistic approaches alive, such as awareness seminars and exhibitions, live performances, regular practice, and knowledge sharing. Hence, the emphasis on crafts has never been entirely eradicated from the entire artistic global scenery.
Example of the Modern Artist
The predominant part of art techniques in the modern industry implies a synthesis of various skills and methods; however, the current creative scene leans towards the values of the past. Today, the art world is led not only by innovative figures but also by artists and communities of craftspeople who aim to produce unique, hand-made ceramics, textiles, designs, or furniture. Grayson Perry is one of the contemporary visual artists incorporating the traditional crafts skills into his “colorful and controversial artworks,” including tapestry and pottery (Pitts and Price 123). Perry’s works are characterized with an obscure master-craft: the surfaces of his urns are amply textured from designs marked into the clay, accompanied by elaborately complex glazing and photo-transfer techniques (Pitts and Price). According to the artist himself, craft and tradition are closely intertwined concepts, meaning that art is inevitably connected to craft and develops through it.
Conclusion
The daily life of oneself is inevitably permeated with the concept of art and all the critical aspects it entails. The nineteenth and early twentieth century marked the advent of the Arts and Crafts movement, which educated the public regarding the role of hand-made objects and traditional artistic skills. However, the lack of adaptability impeded the craftsmanship from its gradual development into the modern era and, therefore, marked its decline in the twentieth century. Nevertheless, the traditional art techniques are preserved today by applying high-quality workmanship and a diverse set of designs.
Works Cited
Getlein, Mark. Living with Art. 11th ed., McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2016.
Pitts, Stephanie E., and Sarah M. Price. Understanding Audience Engagement in the Contemporary Arts. Routledge, 2020.