A Theory of Craft: Function and Aesthetic Expression

346 Pages·2007·2.633 MB·English

by  Howard Risatti

(cid:174) (cid:174)
A THEORY OF CRAFT
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HOWARD RISATTI
A THEORY OF CRAFT
FUNCTION AND AESTHETIC
EXPRESSION
foreword by kenneth r. trapp

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the university of north carolina press
Chapel Hill
© 2007 The University of North Carolina Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Set in Scala and Citizen types
by Tseng Information Systems, Inc.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence
and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for
Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Risatti, Howard Anthony, 1943–
A theory of craft : function and aesthetic expression /
Howard Risatti ; foreword by Kenneth R. Trapp.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8078-3135-9 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Decorative arts—Philosophy. 2. Design—Philosophy. I. Title.
NK1110.R57 2007
745.01—dc22 2007011952
11 10 09 08 07 5 4 3 2 1
For Kenneth Trapp,
my nieces and nephew,
and, above all,
for Christina
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CONTENTS
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Foreword by Kenneth R. Trapp xi
Preface xiii
Introduction 1
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
Postscript 303
Bibliography 307
Index 317
viii Contents
ILLUSTRATIONS
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1 Allan Rosenbaum, Tale, 2002 6
2 Apollo of Veii, Portonaccio Temple, Veii, Italy, ca. 510–500 B.C. 7
3 Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917, replica 1964 11
4 Examples of use and function 28
5 Men and women of the Old Testament, ca. 1145–70, Chartres
Cathedral, France 83
6 Bull and horse, cave painting, ca. 15,000–13,000 B.C., Lascaux
Caves, Perigord, Dordogne, France 88
7 Drawing of abstract signs, ca. 15,000–13,000 B.C., Lascaux Caves,
Perigord, Dordogne, France 89
8 Sign diagram 89
9 Iconic sign diagram 90
10 Indexical sign diagram 91
11 Duck-Shaped Pottery Ewer, Han Dynasty, 207 B.C.–220 A.D. 95
12 Cow-Shaped Creamer, twentieth century, French 96
13 Michelangelo, David, detail, 1501–4 118
14 Tony Smith, Die, 1962, fabricated 1998 121
15 Leonardo da Vinci, The Vitruvian Man, ca. 1492 122
16 Jun Kaneko, Untitled, Dango, 2003 124
17 Robert Rauschenberg, Bed, 1955 133
18 Henry Dreyfuss, 20th Century Limited Locomotive, 1938 179
19 Raymond Loewy, Teardrop Pencil Sharpener, 1933 180
20Cubic Coffeepot, 1920s–30s, German 185
21 Sam Maloof, Michael M. Monroe Low-Back Side Chair, 1995 199
22 Charles and Ray Eames, Aluminum Multiple Seating, ca. 1950 200
23 Teacup, soft drink container, and champagne flute 201
24 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona Chair, 1929 203
25 Charles Yaeger, Untitled Chair, 1994 228
26Chair with blue legs, New Kingdom, ca. 1570–1085 B.C., Egypt 229