A theory of craft : function and aesthetic expression / Howard Risatti ; foreword by Kenneth R. Trapp.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Risatti, Howard, 1943-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Decorative arts--Philosophy.

Decorative arts.

Design--Philosophy.

Design.

Philosophy.

Physical Description:

xvi, 327 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, [2007]

Summary:

What is craft? How is it different from fine art or design? Risatti examines these issues by comparing handmade ceramics, glass, metalwork, weaving, and furniture to painting, sculpture, photography, and machine-made design from Bauhaus to the Memphis Group. He describes craft's unique qualities as functionality combined with an ability to express human values that transcend temporal, spatial, and social boundaries. Craft must articulate a role for itself in contemporary society, says Risatti; otherwise it will be absorbed by fine art or design and its singular approach to understanding the world will be lost.

Contents:

Part I Practical-Functional Arts and the Uniqueness of Craft: Questions about Terminology 13

1 Purpose, Use, and Function 23

2 Taxonomy of Craft Based on Applied Function 29

3 Different Applied Functions: Tools and Craft Objects 41

4 Comparing Machines, Tools, and Craft Objects 48

5 Purpose and Physiological Necessity in Craft 54

6 Nature and the Origin of Craft Objects 60

Part II Craft and Fine Art 67

7 What Are the Fine Arts and What Do They Do? 71

8 Social Convention versus Physical Necessity 78

9 Craft, Fine Art, and Nature 87

10 Technical Knowledge and Technical Manual Skill 98

11 Hand and Body in Relation to Craft 108

12 Hand and Body in Relation to Fine Art 116

13 Physicality versus Opticality 127

14 Thingness of the Thing 139

Part III Issues of Craft and Design 151

15 Material and Manual Skill 157

16 Design, Workmanship, and Craftsmanship 162

17 Craftsman versus Designer 171

18 Implications of Craft and Design 182

19 Hand, Machine, and Material 194

Part IV Aesthetic Objects and Aesthetic Images 207

20 A Historical Perspective of Craft and Aesthetic Theory 209

21 Aesthetics and the Function/Nonfunction Dichotomy 219

22 Kant and Purpose in Fine Art 232

23 Fine Craft, Fine Art, Fine Design 239

24 Intentionality, Meaning, and the Aesthetic 251

25 Beauty, Contemplation, and the Aesthetic Dimension 262

26 How Aesthetic Contemplation Operates 273

27 Development of the Critical Objects of Studio Craft 281.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [307]-316) and index.

ISBN:

9780807831359

0807831352

OCLC:

122261627