Difference between Art and Craft

Introduction

If you observe your surroundings, you'll notice that humans drive the functioning of this entire world. Running a world like ours would be impossible without creativity and individual expression. In today's world, everything revolves around creativity, be it the design of a device that earns respect across generations or the creation of an artwork that connects people through time.

Art serves as the vital link that keeps individuals connected with the world, granting meaning to their lives. Creativity resides within everyone, regardless of awareness.

On the other hand, crafting requires more skill and practice. Nevertheless, it is also a part of the creative process, as traditional techniques were once developed through intense focus, vision, and self-expression.

Art vs Craft

The main difference between Art and Craft is based on the requirement of the skill set. Creating a professional career out of art is also possible and depends on how well you connect with the audience. Whereas craftsman learns a functional skill through excessive practice and pursues it professionally.

Difference Between Art and Craft in Tabular Form

Parameters of Comparison	Art	Craft
Purpose	It is created for aesthetic purposes.	It is created for functional purposes.
Definition	Art is interpreted as a way of self-expression and communication in many forms by the audience.	Craft is to create objects, which is useful for daily purposes, like pottery, weaving or furniture making.
Focus	It mainly focuses to evoke emotions and inspire, or provoke thought.	It focuses on creating objects used in everyday life.
Form	It has many forms like sculpture, painting, drawing, or photography. And it is open to interpretation.	It is more of a specific form.
Restriction	It is not restricted, and a person does not need to be skilled. They need to be free to evoke their creativity.	It is restricted, and a person requires a particular skill set.
Process	It involves more of an intuitive and spontaneous process.	It is more of a systematic and a methodical process.
Experimentation	A person, who is creating, is open to experimentation and can take reference from any material.	It requires a specific skill set and technique, so it does not involve experimentation.
Skill level	It requires a high level of creativity, as the focus is expression and originality.	The parameters are more defined and do not require enough creativity. It focuses more on technical skill sets.
Production	It creates as a single piece and cannot be replicated.	It creates multiple times, as the focus is to create a replication of the functional items.
Audience	The audience is broader in the case of artists, as it connects with the inner self of a person.	The audience in the case of Craft is quite specific, as it is for the people, who like handmade items or require a functional item.
Education	It is often taught to improve unique skills and techniques. The focus is on the individuality of the person.	It is taught as a practical skill.

What is Art?

Art is that one thing, which is inside everyone. It takes time to come out, but it comes out harder and stronger. Art is a form of human expression, which involves creativity and imagination. Art is that medium which tells you about ideas, emotions, experiences and vice versa. It helps to connect with your inner self. People, who understand art; respect the work of the artist (a person who creates Art) and connect with the art deeply.

History of Art

Art has always been the closest thing to humans. In prehistoric times, Art was treated as a way of communication and expression. During that time carvings and cave paintings were the form of art. As humans evolved, art evolved. Art has changed with culture and culture with art. It has connected different cultures. It has made people learn about others, people connect through Art. Through different cultures, art evolved. And it gave rise to several art forms, techniques, and styles. In history, you would find that many prominent art movements influenced nations, which include the Renaissance, Baroque, Romanticism, Impressionism, and Modernism.

Why Art?

Art has many purposes and depends upon the artist, the audience, and the context in which it is created. After collecting all the purposes, a list has been created, and these are:

• Expression- Through expression, art can be defined to communicate our emotions, expressions, and ideas in a creative cum meaningful manner.
• Communication- It can be a form of communication, like conveying messages, ideas, and beliefs to the following audience.
• Aesthetic pleasure- It is appreciated for its beauty and aesthetics. and for generating emotions like joy, admiration, and awe in the audience.
• Social commentary- Art can be used to serve a social cause, and it can challenge societal norms.
• Historical documentation- Art can serve as a portrayal of a particular time or event.

Types of Art

Art involves many techniques, styles, and forms, as it is a diverse field. So, these are some types of art that have gained recognition in modern times.

• Painting- Paintings are the most recognised form of all the known art forms. Many children get to touch a brush, which makes them witness an art form at a young age. It is easy to access for everyone. In this form, you require a canvas, paper, or other material on which you can run your paintbrush. Nowadays, there are many things that you can use. And you are not just bound to use a paintbrush. You can use watercolours, acrylic and oil paints. And it requires a specific skill to use a painting style.
• Sculpture - They are like art, but through sculpture, you can create 3D workpieces. Things usually preferred are stone, clay, wood, or metal. People who practice these art forms often belong to rich families as it is not easy to do at home. And it is usually common in government buildings, churches, and cathedrals. It is a difficult form of art and it requires to learn this art form. This art form is still alive and doing well these days. Experimenting is the sole thing in this art form.
• Architecture - This art form is almost everywhere. Wherever you see a building, it is also because of architects. It is also difficult to learn. There are many courses that teach this art form in many universities across the world. Some famous heritage buildings, like the Taj Mahal and Sanchi Stupa in India. And there are many more beauties designed throughout the world.
• Literature- Somewhere or the other, you must have witnessed literature. From schools to colleges or some have created their life out of it. It is a written form of art. It is completely based on how richly you can use words to make your piece look good. There are also forms of Literature like poetries, essays, novels, short stories, and non-fiction.
• Music- It is one of the most known forms of art. There are aspiring musicians or singers everywhere. Once in life, everyone wants to be a musician. It uses sounds and voices to create wonderfully written masterpieces. It also has many forms like pop, rock, country music, Alternative, classical, and vice versa.

Art Movements

There are many art movements witnessed in history. Some famous movements:

• Expressionism- It is an international art movement in various forms of Art like literature, architecture, and performance. It started back in 1905 and continued till the end of 1920. It included many conventions of styles expressionist follows like exaggeration, fantasy, vividness, violence and dynamic.
• Impressionism - This movement emerged back in the 19th century. It was initially associated with artists like Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Camile Pissarro, and Alfred Sisley. This movement was based on impressions you create in the art you create. It focused more on creating on sensory experience.
• Pop Art- It emerged in the 1950s by American and British artists. It was at its peak in the 1960s. It drew motivation from popular imagery. And it is very known these days.
• Baroque- Baroque was started back in the 17th century and continued till the mid-18th century. It emphasized dramatic, exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail.

What is Craft?

The process of creating various items, using raw materials, tools, and specific techniques. The field is versatile. It helps people to use their creativity to develop personalised and unique objects.

Types of Craft

Crafts require many materials and techniques, which help in producing unique and creative items. To discuss this fact, we will divide it, into four types:

• Paper crafts- We create decorative and functional items using paper. One example is origami, where we fold paper to create designs and it is a Japanese art. Other examples are paper cutting, paper quilling, card making, and scrapbooking. It ranges in a wide variety from constructing simple intricate designs to complex three-dimensional designs.
• Textile crafts- These involve the work of fibres and fabrics to create designs. This includes sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, weaving, and felting. The type of creations is clothing, accessories, home decor items and intricate tapestries. It requires a good skill set in working, with many fabrics and different techniques.
• Wood Crafts- It involves working with wood to create artistic things. Techniques like carving, joining and woodworking. It creates furniture, wooden toys, and intricate wooden sculptures.
• Clay Crafts- It involves the creation of pottery, sculptures, and other ceramic objects. In clay crafts, they work with ceramics and clay. It follows techniques like hand-building, wheel throwing, sculpting, and glazing.

Some Essential Tools And Materials Used For Crafting

• Cutting tools- The fundamental of all the tools is a pair of scissors. It is divided into shapes and sizes, like fabric scissors, paper scissors and precision scissors.
• Adhesives- It plays an important role in joining materials together. Some types of adhesives are glue sticks, hot glue guns, and craft glue. Each of them has its significance and it is used particularly in the case of materials.
• Sewing supplies- While making fabric crafts we require a bunch of sewing supplies, which includes pins, threads, needles, thimbles, and a sewing machine. All of these are used together to create a better fabric.

Main Difference Between Art And Craft In Points

• Art is more of an aesthetic thing, and the definition is a standard thing. Whereas Craft is more of a structured thing, it requires practice and techniques to master the skill.
• Both forms require a certain amount of focus and patience to get the best outcome and appreciation from others.
•  Arts are more of an emotional and expressive approach. The person connects with their deep self and feels it. It requires much time to understand true values but once you have achieved it then there is no going back. Whereas, craft has more of a tangible approach. It is a little less emotional and expressive when you are comparing it with the Art.

Conclusion

In the end, both fields are creative. Both have their significance in the market. If you go around, you will see that Craft is dependent upon how artistically designed. Craft is dependent upon art. If a product is technically designed then giving an artistic touch to it, might increase its expression and value towards the audience. Or using technicalities in aesthetically drawn art to provide meaning and at the same time become a better product to sell in the market. So, it is very clear from the article that both art and craft are interdependent and the world runs from it.

References

• Difference Between Art and Craft - A Look at Art Versus Craft (artincontext.org)
• Art vs Craft: The Difference Between Craft And Art - Eden Gallery (eden-gallery.com)