What distinguishes art from craft?
I’m Azilise Le Coret, I’m a journalist at Le Figaro and in this new episode of Le Moment Philo, produced by Sylvain Chatelain, with the help of the philosopher Alain, we’ll try to distinguish the difference between art and craftsmanship.
Alain, born Emile-Auguste Chartier, defines and distinguishes the artist from the craftsman. Art systempublished in 1920
The distinction that Alain makes between art and craft already appears in the 18th century under the pen of d’Alembert; Encyclopedia. D’Alembert distinguishes “fine arts” from crafts and techniques in terms of utility: works of art, unlike technical objects, have no practical utility.
Allen would take this distinction between art and craft not according to the criterion of utility, but according to the correspondence between the object and its “formal reason.” When an object corresponds to an idea that already exists, it is craftsmanship, and when the creator does not know exactly what to do with his object, it is an art object.
“When the idea precedes and governs the execution, that is industry. And yet it is true that work often, even in industry, corrects the idea in the sense that the craftsman tries to find something better than he thought; with this he is an artist but flashes. Yet the representation of an idea in anything, I say even of a well-defined idea, such as the painting of a house, is only a mechanical work, in the sense that a well-regulated machine would at first produce a thousand examples. the work. »
Emile-Auguste Chartier
We understand that a carpenter, for example, when he builds furniture, decides in advance what he will design; a chair needs four legs, a seat and a back. This work will be accompanied by accurate measurements.
The chair that the craftsman will build will therefore correspond to his “formal work”, that is, to his project. However, it may happen that the craftsman changes his mind during the implementation of his work… but this change will be exceptional. A craftsman is an artist, but only in “shine,” says Allen.
If craftsmanship is not to be strictly contrasted with artistic creation, what defines art?
“Let’s now think about the work of a portrait painter. it is clear that he cannot plan all the colors that he will use in the work he begins; The idea comes to him as he does; it would even be harsh to say that the idea comes to him later, as it does to the audience, and that he is also the audience of his creation at birth. And this is what is characteristic of an artist. A genius must have the grace of nature and amaze himself. »
Emile-Auguste Chartier
Art, says Allen, frees itself from utility and predetermined purpose.
Let’s face it, art also requires knowledge of certain rules, mastering and mastering a technique, an artist or a musician. But this technical knowledge is not enough. Because a true artist must be able to break free from the rules. Finally, doesn’t art begin where knowledge stops?
Source: Le Figaro
