Collingwood’s Distinction Between Art and Craft Coursework

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

The distinction between art and craft is unclear. Is carving sculpture art or a craft? How can we make a clear distinction between art and craft? These are some of the questions that the philosopher R. G. Collingwood (1889-1943) sought to answer. The philosopher was an aesthetician and has enjoyed great influence in this field since the end of the Second World War. Aestheticism is a procedure whereby the artist and his audience come to the realization and knowledge of certain psychological states. Collingwood is thought to be the main advocate of the expressive theory of art (Kemp, 2007).

Collingwood sought to make a clear distinction between what he called ‘Art proper’ from what we all mistakenly term art. In his work, The Principles of Art, he seeks to uncover the truth about what we mistakenly think of as art and craft. Collingwood’s description of the craft was work that required planning and execution of the plan. The craftsman already has a clear picture of what he wants to create in his mind. This, according to Collingwood, is a skill the craftsman cannot do without. Dutton uses this as a background for his definition of craft. He defines craft as skilled work that involves the application of technical skills.

According to Collingwood, crafts require the use of actions to achieve a well-defined end while in the arts there is no clearly defined end. The artist does not know the end result of his actions. The craftsman plans his work and his actions are executed in accordance with his plan. The artist does not have a specific plan. His actions are randomly executed. Collingwood further noted that because the craftsman has a specific end in mind, the means of his achieving his goal is determined by the end he has in mind. This differentiates craft from art because the artist does not have a specific end in mind. His means (e.g. tools) will determine the end result of his work (Kemp, 2007).

Craft can also be differentiated from art by its dependability. According to Collingwood, the craft is a means of making a functional end product from raw material. The end product can be distinguished clearly from its raw materials. The end product of an artist is not always functional. Art is not dependable. One cannot predict the end result of art (Dutton, 1990).

Finally, Collingwood distinguished art from the craft by stating that a work of art should be an expression of emotion. But in his definition of art as a form of expression, Collingwood made it possible for crafts to be termed at certain times as art. In his example of an actress, he points out that acting requires planning and the use of technical skills. This makes it a craft. But in the actress’ ability to use her skills to conjure up emotions in her audience, she makes acting an art. Although the actress knew beforehand what emotions she wished to conjure in her audience, she explores the unknown and in the process, she and the audience learn and become aware of certain psychological states (Dutton, 1990).

References

Kemp, Gary. 2007. ‘Collingwood’s Aesthetics’. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web.

Dutton, Denis. 1990. . Radio New Zealand Broadcast Talk.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, June 9). Collingwood’s Distinction Between Art and Craft. https://ivypanda.com/essays/collingwoods-distinction-between-art-and-craft/

Work Cited

"Collingwood’s Distinction Between Art and Craft." IvyPanda, 9 June 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/collingwoods-distinction-between-art-and-craft/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'Collingwood’s Distinction Between Art and Craft'. 9 June.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "Collingwood’s Distinction Between Art and Craft." June 9, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/collingwoods-distinction-between-art-and-craft/.

1. IvyPanda. "Collingwood’s Distinction Between Art and Craft." June 9, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/collingwoods-distinction-between-art-and-craft/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Collingwood’s Distinction Between Art and Craft." June 9, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/collingwoods-distinction-between-art-and-craft/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1