arguably the visual art of choice for the masses

[petermfiore]

I had posted this in another thread. My point is, as an artist, one needs to keep these 10 points in mind for ones well being.

[amolitor]

Art and Decor are not objects, they are functions or roles. The same object might function as one or the other depending on context or the mood of the viewer.

The two roles or functions, pretty much regardless of the details of how you define them, are quite different.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Art and Decor... are quite different.

I heard you guys the first time, so repeating it is not going to make the argument any stronger. But no one bothered to show me (for what it is worth), just how they are different. After all, most Art through history has been produced for Decor, be it for churches or homes of rich patrons. Whoever bought art, even high art, has to display it (and proudly so, unless they are pure investors and keep it crated, in a dark, humidity-controlled storage). Displaying it inside their homes is decorating.

[petermfiore]

I heard you guys the first time, so repeating it is not going to make the argument any stronger. But no one bothered to show me (for what it is worth), just how they are different. After all, most Art through history has been produced for Decor, be it for churches or homes of rich patrons. Whoever bought art, even high art, has to display it (and proudly so, unless they are pure investors and keep it crated, in a dark, humidity-controlled storage). Displaying it inside their homes is decorating.

Slobodan,

You are focusing on where art is shown. As an artist my focus is on what I make. All the other concerns work themselves out. An artist has to think in that order, otherwise they will not remain true to their own voice. Then decoration is all that will be left.

Peter

[Isaac]

But no one bothered to show me (for what it is worth), just how they are different.

Sorry, it seemed to me that your "I understand that." response indicated that you saw a difference?

After all, most Art through history has been produced for Decor, be it for churches or …

Surely not for "Decor" but for the glorification of God.

[amolitor]

I'm not sure it's useful to refer to historical ideas of Art, here. The conception of what art is has changed a great deal in last century. In particular, ideas of decor and art have been separated rather more than they once were.

[elliot_n]

Another dominant theme of twentieth century art, is the absorption of low culture into high culture - from Duchamp (urinals) and Richard Hamilton (magazine cuttings), to Warhol (soup cans) and Jeff Koons (ballon dogs).

[wmchauncey]

I might submit that not all evolution is necessarily a good thing.   

[amolitor]

Not all evolution is a good thing, and I offer no particular judgement on the merits of the modern view of Art. Contemporary usage is different, though, and if we're talking about now, we should mostly be concerned with contemporary usage.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I'm not sure it's useful to refer to historical ideas of Art, here. The conception of what art is has changed a great deal in last century. In particular, ideas of decor and art have been separated rather more than they once were.

Ah, the famous this-time-it's-different argument

[Isaac]

The famous introduction to The Story of Art (1950) --

"There really is no such thing as Art. There are only artists. Once these were men who took coloured earth and roughed out the forms of a bison on the wall of a cave; today some buy their paints, and design posters for hoardings; they did and do many other things. There is no harm in calling all these activities art as long as we keep in mind that such a word may mean very different things in different times and places, and as long as we realize that Art with a capital A has no existence."

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Sorry, it seemed to me that your "I understand that." response indicated that you saw a difference?

I thought it should be clear from the context that I understood that non-art objects can be used for decoration?

... Surely not for "Decor" but for the glorification of God.

By the same token, it could be argued that Decor was used for the glorification of God? After all, when you build a church, the walls and ceilings come empty, so you have to decorate them, no?

Come to think of it, the very first human art was used for decorating walls too. Cave walls, that is. In other words, the original purpose of art is to decorate, so no reason to turn your nose up today at Decor as a lowly cousin of Art, as can be inferred from your condescending reply to Terry ("ou seem to be confusing art with decoration.")

[Isaac]

to turn your nose up today at Decor as a lowly cousin of Art, as can be inferred…

Don't put words in my mouth.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Don't put words in my mouth.

I didn't. I used the term "infer," the meaning of which is to "deduce or conclude (information) from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements"

[Isaac]

This is a genuine question, not trying to be difficult.

I don't turn my nose up at Decor and don't regard it as a lowly cousin of Art. Don't put words in my mouth.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I don't turn my nose up at Decor and don't regard it as a lowly cousin of Art. Don't put words in my mouth.

Speaking of cousins... I must be then a distant relative of Cardinal Richelieu ("If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him."). In your case, I needed only eight words

[RSL]

When it comes to hanging Isaac, eight words are a superfluity!

[mezzoduomo]

heART
eARTh
fART
ARTistic

There: I just made art.  Art is and must be defined by the artist and the artist alone. That which is created by someone as an expression of something otherwise internal, and put forward in good faith as art...is art.

[RSL]

I'm delighted to see that we finally have a definition for "art." Now we can all pivot to something else.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... Art is and must be defined by the artist and the artist alone...

This reminds me of the ingenious solution to the five o'clock traffic jam, i.e., that everyone should leave work at four o'clock. Shifting the burden of defining "art" to defining "artist" seems equally ingenious.

P.S. My intention in this thread is not to go after the definition of art or artist, however, just to discuss the relationship between art and decor.