Crafts With Arts And Arts By Crafts

The term,'crafts with arts',which is defined as crafts with art tendency or with art property,belongs to 'crafts' as a whole.In contrast,the term 'arts by crafts' means arts accomplished by crafts,in turn pertaining to 'arts'.Essential distinctions between the two technical terms deserve research attention.Since 1950s,the term 'arts by crafts' gradually takes the place of the term 'crafts with arts',and it also involves the whole of traditional handicrafts.However,people nowadays confuse the two terms,thus hindering the development of traditional handicrafts in a healthy and proper way.In this aspect,it is of great significance to make a distinction between 'crafts with arts' and 'arts by crafts'.A evaluation system for traditional handicraft itself needs to be established.First and foremost,this thesis probes into the differences in basic concepts between the two terms from the perspective of literal logic and etymology.' Crafts with arts' means employing 'arts' to modify'crafts',and it essentially belongs to the domain of crafts yet with art tendency,with traditional handicrafts included.On the other hand,'arts by crafts' involves employing 'crafts' to modify 'arts'.In other words,'crafts' are employed with the aim of accomplishing'arts'.In all,'arts by crafts' is fundamentally connected with'arts',and therefore the evaluative standards for 'arts' are normally consulted and applied in the process.Then,this thesis conducts research on the historical background under which the relevant concepts are spread into China.The concept of arts and crafts originated from the handicraft movement in Britain.It spread to France and became the new art movement which highlighted patterns and decorations.To Japan,it became the folk art movement there.As for its spread in China,for the sake of industrial development and the establishment of craft schools,this concept was introduced to China with the aid of overseas Chinese people travelling to Japan or to France,and combined with the national conditions and historical cultural traditions of that days.In the following parts,this thesis makes a systematic review and analysis of the remarkable documents,events,policies along with theories in the field of both 'crafts with arts' and 'arts by crafts'.The author clearly sets the developmental stages for the two concepts in China,and points out the basic thread and the conceptual shifts for their evolution in Chinese context.Generally,this thesis classifies eight stages for them,that is,the original proposal of 'crafts with arts'and 'arts by crafts',coexistence of them,prevalence of the former concept,establishment of the former,the confusing stage,prevalence of the latter concept,the complete chaos,and revival of distinctions.Based on research findings above,this thesis states that,since 20th century,there are similarities of 'crafts with arts' and 'applied crafts' in terms of spreading time,and their mains stance.Till now,enough attention has paid to 'crafts with arts' which less to 'arts by crafts'.The standards of art dominates that of crafts,thus causing public misunderstanding and ignorance of<crafts with arts'.Worse still,a tendency has emerged that the standard of 'arts by crafts' has been employed to evaluate 'crafts with arts'.All these are closely associated with contributing factors like an insufficient knowledge of relevant concepts,ignorance of Chinese practice,semantic changes under politics,the leaders' influences,the gap between rapid shifts of semantic changes and lag of public awareness of them,lack of cultural confidence and aesthetic appreciation,and so on.Lastly,the thesis proposes that public awareness needs to be aroused concerning a clear comprehension of the distinctions between 'crafts with arts' and 'arts by crafts'.In all,the author suggests a evaluative method for traditional handicrafts in terms of material,measure,form and application.