Art is fundamentally important to the human race. Indeed, it's been noted that it is precisely 'art for art's sake' that sets us apart from the other creative animals.
Honeybees and ants and birds and beavers and spiders are all architectural artists, but their 'art' is in service to their physical survival. Building honeycombs and subterranean tunnels, nests, webs and dams, great beauty comes from our animal neighbors. Functional art, as it were.
But our species also makes art for the soulful necessity of the thing itself. The artist must participate in the conjuring and making of art. A beautiful line or shape, a 3-dimensional contour, color, texture, composition all exist deep within our psyche, making us truly human.
Craft art elevates the merely functional invention to high design, funky interpretation, and deep consideration of material, method, detail. A clumsy basket will surely hold apples as well as an elegant one, but oh how the elegant one does more than just contain the apples!
One can get lost in the detail and expertise of a well-crafted piece. Look into beautiful woodgrain, notice how well a ceramic bowl is turned, merge with the tiny glass beads of a woven creation, and you will see the hand of God in the artist's hand as he or she created a masterwork.
Even in these economic times, life is better with beautiful things to comfort us and to set our imaginations free. Selecting handcrafted works from artisans in our own region means that an economy will keep flowing. And giving gifts of handmade things is a lovely thing to do.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment