Entry 10: Art vs Design

As i realised recently that art and design are very difficult to pull apart, as art and design inspire and draw elements from eachother. I decided that i should analyse the purpose of art/design works instead, because they share alot of the same physical/aesthetic qualities. By looking at the purpose and idea behind the works would help me see what determines a piece as an art work or design. Despite that I understand (especially now) that there will always be exceptions and works that would qualify as art as well as design.


I started by looking at some traditional paintings. Above are portraits of the Queen Mary I, paintings such as these were the equivilant of photograghs of today, used as a form of documentation, decoration and status symbol, as only the rich, wealthy and royal could afford such luxuary. Therefore traditional portraits often depicted not only the person, but also their precious possessions and 'symbols' that would show their power and importance.
Artists were hired and paid to paint what they were assigned to paint, there was not much freedom for artists, as an artist's career depended on how well they can master realism and accuracy in details.

However since the invention of photography artists faced a challenge, due to the capability of cameras, artists felt threatened and liberated. Becuase art nolonger have to loyal to realism and accuracy, it can be for the pure essence of shapes, forms and colors.

An artist that came to my mind was Gerhard Richter.



Richter is an artist that challenges the ability of capturing a moment frozen in time and space, as well as the ability to depict absolute realism and even the motion blur. His works are pure exploration of the artistic skills and capability of an artist with paint. Richter's artworks are so realistic sometimes it's hard to tell which one is the photo and which one is the painting he did of the photo. Personally i think his works are the pureply artistic and very skillfully painted. I would consider his work to be art and not design, as they are just showcasing his skills as a painter.
I am aware that this may not stand for every single piece of work, but I find art often do not need an idea or message, somtimes it can be just about aesthetics, and someone want a beautiful picture on their wall for decorative purposes.

Therefore i started looking at works that might classify as both (depending on the point of view).



For this, i looked at Billy Apple. There has always been debate on weither if Apple's works are art or design. Before i started this analysis of art and design blog i always saw Billy Apple as an artist, due to his works's strong resemblence to Andy Warhol's famous pop art style. However i am aware that Apple also come up with concepts that contributes to designs.
After my previous analysis and researches, i have realised that depending on how a viewer comprehend/relate to the work. Therefore artists such as Billy Apple's works are hard to say it's wether art or design.
Billy Apple also participate in design projects such as the Wairepo Swamp Walk, which also could define him as a designer as well.
http://www.peterfell.co.nz/index.asp?pageID=2145886061

As i am learning more towards the traditional art side, i would usually read a work as art. Being not too strong in design, it sometimes can be hard for me to notice that a work can be viewed in different ways.
I want to dedicate my next week's research into finding more references such as Billy Apple, as this was very interesting to see how people can read a work differently.