Anti-Rand
Out of context: Reply #149
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- gramme0
The glaring problem in this thread is that nobody has clearly defined "art". Therefore we are chasing our tails trying to credit or discredit design, until we have something clear and concrete for comparison.
Webster's definition:
"The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power."
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When design is at it's best, it accomplishes the above. It uses beauty to move the viewer. Think of a beautiful book on cartography. Think of the online portfolio of an accomplished photographer (a project I recently have worked on and found very rewarding in and of itself). So what if many think the thing people are being moved to do or think is banal. Perhaps, more often than not, this is the case. Nevertheless, design can and often does rise to the level of art, if the above definition is to be trusted at all.
You have all probably heard the phrase "art for art's sake." The meaning of this phrase it that the only aim of a work of art is the self expression of the individual artist who created the piece. The problem with such a concept is that it automatically negates the artistic value of the majority of what we consider art. Forget the Sistine chapel. Forget anything created by Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Monet, Constable, etc. etc. It's all trash, since the majority of work created by the above-mentioned was done for paying clients, often beginning with a commission rather than a purchase after the fact.
The concept of "art for art's sake" is a 20th century construction, a product of modernist, individualistic thought. It flies in the face of centuries of community-first living, in which every person who walked around fed and clothed did work of some sort.
I am proud of the fact that graphic design has not been entirely destroyed by the "art for art's sake" adherents. I believe that it is possible to create art or design that both fulfills one's personal aesthetic and conceptual desires, as well as fulfilling the needs of our clients. It doesn't happen often, but it happens often enough that I for one have not yet lost hope for a meaningful career.