What is decorative art

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Man has always tried to embellish his life, introducing elements of aesthetics and creativity into it. Artisans, creating household items - dishes, clothes, furniture, decorated them with ornaments, patterns, carvings, encrusted with precious stones, turning them into real works of art.

Decorative art, in fact, existed in prehistoric times, when a caveman decorated his dwelling with rock paintings, but in academic literature it was only singled out in the 50s of the 19th century.

Meaning of term

The Latin word decorare translates as "to decorate". That it is the root of the concept of "decorative", that is, "decorated". Therefore, the term "decorative art" literally means "the ability to decorate."

Divided into these constituent arts:

• monumental - decorating, painting, mosaics, stained glass windows, carvings of buildings and structures;
• applied - applies to all household items, including dishes, furniture, clothes, textiles;
• decorative -a creative approach to the design of holidays, exhibitions and shop windows.

The main feature by which decorative fine art is distinguished from fine art is its practicality, the possibility of using it in everyday life, and not just aesthetic content.

For example, a painting is a piece of fine art, while a carved candlestick or a painted ceramic plate is applied art.

Classification

The branches of this art form are classified by:

• Materials used in the process of work. It can be metal, stone, wood, glass, ceramics, textiles.
• Technique. A variety of techniques are used - carving, inlay, casting, printing, embossing, embroidery, batik, painting, weaving, macrame and others.
• Function - the item could be used in many ways, such as furniture, dishes or toys.

As you can see from the classification, this concept has a very wide scope. Closely associated with artistry, architecture, design. Objects of arts and crafts form the material world that surrounds a person, making it more beautiful and richer in aesthetic and figurative terms.

Rise

In all ages, artisans tried to decorate the fruits of their labor. They were skilled craftsmen, had excellent taste, improved their skills from generation to generation, carefully guarding the secrets within the family. Their cups, banners,tapestries, clothes, cutlery and other household items, as well as stained-glass windows, frescoes were distinguished by high artistry.

Why did the definition of "decorative art" appear precisely in the middle of the 19th century? This is due to the industrial revolution, when, in the course of the rapid growth of machine production, the manufacture of goods from the hands of artisans passed to factories and factories. Products have become unified, non-unique and often unattractive. Its main task was only rough functionality. Under such conditions, applied craft literally meant the production of a single product with a high artistic value. Craftsmen applied their art, creating exclusive decorated household items, which, under the conditions of the industrial boom, began to be in special demand in the rich sections of society. And so the term "arts and crafts" was born.

Development history

The age of decorative art is equal to the age of mankind. The first objects of creativity found belong to the Paleolithic era and are rock paintings, jewelry, ritual figurines, bone or stone household items. Given the primitiveness of the tools, the decorative arts in ancient society were very simple and crude.

Further improvement of the means of labor leads to the fact that objects that serve practical purposes and at the same time decorate everyday life become more and more elegant and refined. Masters put their talent and taste, emotional mood into household items.

Folkdecorative art is permeated with elements of spiritual culture, traditions and views of the nation, the nature of the era. In its development it covers vast temporal and spatial layers, the material of many generations is truly immense, therefore it is impossible to line up all its genres and types in one historical line. The stages of development are conditionally divided into the most significant periods, within which the most striking masterpieces of decorative and applied art stand out.

Ancient world

Decorative art of Egypt is one of the most significant pages in the history of applied art. Egyptian craftsmen brought to perfection such artistic crafts as bone and wood carving, metal processing, jewelry, colored glass and faience, the finest patterned fabrics. Leather, weaving, pottery crafts were at their best. The artists of Egypt created wonderful works of art that the whole world admires today.

No less significant in the history of applied arts were the achievements of the ancient Eastern masters of Western Asia (Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, Syria, Phoenicia, Palestine, Urartu). The decorative art of these states was especially pronounced in such crafts as carving on ivory, chasing on gold and silver, inlay with precious and semiprecious stones, and artistic forging. A distinctive feature of the products of these peoples was the simplicity of forms, the love of small and detailed details in the decor, and the abundance of bright colors. The production of carpets has reached a very high level.

Products of artisans of antiquity are decorated with images of plants and animals, mythical creatures and heroes of legends. The work used metal, including noble, faience, ivory, glass, stone, wood. Cretan jewelers have achieved the highest craftsmanship.

The decorative art of the countries of the East - Iran, India - is permeated with deep lyricism, refinement of images, combined with classical clarity and purity of style. Centuries later, fabrics are admired - muslin, brocade and silk, carpets, gold and silver items, chasing and engravings, painted glazed ceramics. The chandelier and border tiles that adorned secular and religious buildings amaze the imagination. Artistic calligraphy has become a unique technique.

The decorative art of China is distinguished by its unique originality and exclusive techniques, which had a serious influence on the work of the masters of Japan, Korea, and Mongolia.

The art of Europe was formed under the influence of the arts and crafts of Byzantium, which absorbed the spirit of the ancient world.

Identity of Russia

Folk decorative art of Ancient Russia was influenced by the Scythian culture. Artistic forms have achieved great pictorial power and expressiveness. The Slavs used glass, rock crystal, carnelian, amber. Jewelery and metalworking, bone carving, ceramics, decorative painting of temples have been developed.

Pysankarstvo occupies a special place,wood carving, embroidery and weaving. The Slavs reached great heights in these types of art, creating sophisticated and exquisite products.

National ornament and patterns became the basis of decorative art.