Hello dear readers, lots of love and respect to everyone…
In this article, I will talk about; What are the differences between craft, design, and art? Are they similar to each other or are they different? We see that these are mixed from time to time, which can sometimes seem like there are big differences, and sometimes it can be as if they are intertwined, as if both and all three are together.
Let us give several examples of what is called a craft. Stonework, copper carving, saddle work for riding animals, ceramic plate decoration, carpentry work, hairdressing, glass work, leather work, etc. Now, if we look at the craftsmanship and professions that I have given examples of, some of them may also be educated, but mostly he tries to do the same product as his master does, like the master-apprentice relationship, learns by doing, with the help of his hand, arm, and foot skills. In short, what we call crafts is what people who put forth their labor and do something with such actions. They use skilled labor rather than capital. Thus, the person who produces
goods is a craftsman.
On the other hand, since the artist considers it specially for the production of that goods and reveals it as a single time, every work made by the artist is one and only. There is no second like it. The artist again pretends to make his second work for the first time. Although the second work seems to be the same as the first, it is as original and unique as the first. In other words, the artist produces each work individually. However, there is no problem between each plate made by a copper carver and the next and subsequent plates, they are all the same. There is no difference between the first and the 30th. The same is produced by hand. That product will be sold and the
same will continue to be produced again and again tomorrow. But even if the artist’s work is only one, there is no guarantee of being sold. Despite this, the artist continues to produce a new original. While producing his work, the artist approaches in a way that solves thousands of problems in his mind, and therefore the artist’s work or product is unique. However, the craftsman’s product is the same, he processes and finishes the same. Its duration is certain. In the work of art, the duration is not determined. In other words, a work of art is unique, it is only one. There are many analogues of craft products. Each time, the artist creates an original work and works for it.
How does this craftsmanship in some professions come about? For example, stonemasonry pioneered the construction of houses, buildings, castles, palaces, mosques and churches, and tombs by bringing large stones into a very smooth shape (cubes) in the absence of cement. At that time, stone carvers were performing this profession by spending a great deal of hard work. Later, with the introduction of iron, the association of iron and stone evolved into another phase in the construction of houses and buildings. Then, with industrialization, cement replaced stone and the cement+sand+iron triangle was established. You can think of the sand here as the stone cut into small pieces. (Of course, do not consider sand as a stone chemically. I am using the sand- stone relationship as a metaphor here.) And the houses, the buildings were realized as repetitions of each other.
As for the saddles placed on the mounts, initially, they threw things like cloth pieces on the horse and got on. Instead of this cloth, they used leather (like a cover) as a more durable material. They then processed the leather to shape the ergonomics of the horse’s back and the seat of the rider on its upper side. Later, they processed the leather and shaped it according to the ergonomics of the horse’s back and the seat of the rider on its upper part. And a product called “saddle” appeared, which was put on horses. The saddles are all the same. It has to be the same.
We see the same mentality in the carpentry profession. They produced various sofas, beds, and dining table objects for people to sit, sleep and eat in places. They made them more functional. Then, by attaching aesthetic concerns to them, these objects were either handled to be produced by an artist or processed on these objects to be produced by a designer. They started to turn it into another design product by changing its forms, dimensions, colors and even their relations with each other in the space. In the meantime, you can see good examples of Bauhaus artists and designers from the German schools (especially between the years 1920-1930) on the internet. Still, a Bauhaus product produced in the 1920s appears as beautifully designed as if it were a product of today.
There are also many similar iron doors, windows, showcases, and any kind of iron work you can think of, produced by the blacksmith. The blacksmith repeats the same product over and over again, producing the same again. The artist, on the other hand, thinks, draws, destroys, and repeats in order to create an original, single, unique product from these iron works. In the end, there is only one job. That’s why he thinks a lot and creates unique products that are not alike. Glasswork and leatherwork from other professions are examples of these. The designer is somewhere between the craftsman and the artist. But due to his work, he sometimes goes
towards craftsmanship, and sometimes he takes an artist-like attitude. We should not forget that the artist adds his thought to the handicraft. This work is not necessarily useful for society directly. But indirectly, it is beneficial in that it shows them what everyone cannot see.
Let us consider Michelangelo’s works of marble and stone. He also started to carve stone and marble like a stone worker and created those beautiful works. However, he experimented with how to carve perhaps hundreds of marbles before revealing an artifact. In fact, he had to understand which type of marble to become a work he wanted. Later, he realized this work, sometimes down to the smallest detail, and sometimes he made sculptures that gave the impression of being left unfinished. Especially these seemingly unfinished works belong to his last period. Maybe he just didn’t want every part of it to say more. It was simpler, more minimal. You cannot see these movements in the case of a stone worker. Here, the designer also designs these processes, makes his plans and presents his drawings. A designer is a person who thinks about all the stages before the process takes place, draws its sketches and tries to make it visible on paper. The stone worker makes the same thing over and over again (the concept of multiplicity), the designer draws what he can do from that stone, makes it visible, and sometimes even makes it possible to make more of that work, sometimes he can even make one. But the
artist always performs a single, unique, original work, maybe once or twice, but does not always do this. Not always the designer does mass production like the stone worker. Sometimes two or three, tens, sometimes fifty may be required to be produced. As I said, the artist makes each of his works unique and original. In simple words, I can end this article as follows.
Stoneworker: There is a condition of multiplicity and being the same.
Designer: Sometimes he deals with the concept of one and sometimes the concept of plurality in his works.
Artist: There is always the concept of oneness. Unique and original.
I respectfully greet everyone.
Murat Mete AGYAR
