APPLIED ARTS

Carlota Lopez
Jan 20, 2018
2 min read

Throughout history, especially in the Western world, Arts have always existed under a sort of hierarchy - history painting was above portraiture, poetry above prose and opera above popular songs. It was only in the 19th Century with the rise of “Arts and Crafts” movement and “Art Noveau” that Applied Art took people’s attention.

Applied Arts refer to the application (and resulting product) of artistic design to utilitarian objects of everyday use. It can be Fashion Design, Industrial Design, Decorative Arts, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Architecture and Jewelry. It is all about aesthetics plus function. These arts, enrich our daily lives and can make even the most mundane utensil in our home a pleasure for the eyes.

I decided to go deeper in some of the sub groups that caught my attention.

- GRAPHIC DESIGN

Graphic Design arose as a separate discipline after the appearence of the printing press in the 15th Century. Communication through visual images started to gain vision after hand- printed book illustrations. Following this, appeared posters, newspaper advertising, flyers and pamphlets.

It is applied to products and basically everything visual, from road signs to technical schematics, from interoffice memorandus to elements of companies such as logos and colors, and to the entertainment industry.

TYPOGRAPHY + VISUAL ARTS + LAYOUTS = VISUAL COMPOSITION

- DECORATIVE ARTS

From Baroque to Bauhaus, each era has left its print on Decorative Arts. They serve a purpose of embelishing everyday objects and enhancing their functionality.

Inside of the Decorative Arts we have ceramics, glassware, jewelry, metalware, textil, basketry and tapestry.

Materials used may vary depending on the purpose of the product, it can be an affordable household utensil or a charming object of art.

This pieces are supposed to be functional and to let people admired.

A good place to find some treasures of Decorative Arts is the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY.

- FASHION DESIGN

This possibly the most atractive sub group to the general public and definitely the most discussed.

Design as we know it today started with Charles Frederick Worth, he is the father of Haute Couture. Before him the only source of inspiration was the court, there weren’t runways. After him, soon came brands like Versace, Dior, Chanel, Gucci and many more.

Fashion is influenced by cultural and social atittudes and usually varies due to time and place. It has a huge impact in the way we see ouselves and eachothers.

Clothes and accessories are wearable art.