Fine Art Vs. Applied Art
Walaa Aldammad
History of Modern Design
Fine Vs Applied Arts
‘The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.’ -Pablo Picasso. Art serve the human being with all forms, whether it is applied art, which is art and designs have functional objects for daily use, or fine art have no function other than providing aesthetic or intellectual stimulation to the viewer, (to make the mind enjoys what he sees). Therefor fine art and applied art are just the two sides of the same coin.
In ancient civilizations, Plato separated human being into body and mind, therefor determine art to applied art target the person functionality, and fine art target the soul and the mind. But time and development prove that mind and body are just two sides of the same coin, as the case in art. It is wrong to prefer one type of art to the other. If we prefer applied art to fine art as if we deny how fine art offers to humanity and its big part in human’s daily life, underestimate the importance of feelings in the daily activity, and focus more on the practical side, more than enjoying the beauty of things while using it and stigmatization around us and thus the applied art will lose with time the art side of it and focuses on the functional side. For example, how much difference is there between working silently and working with music? Music inspires the person's vitality and activity and drives him to work more sincerely, focus more and thus produce better.
In the other hand, if we prefer the fine art to applied art as if we underestimate the importance of function in art and we emphasize that art serves only the spirit and serves function in the second rank. Listening to music can relax the person and influence his mood just as sitting in a place with a brightly colors and attractive design can affect the person’s mood. The beauty of applied art is that it is close to human’s daily life as possible, to serve him in all fields and needs. Many and perhaps all interior designs contain paintings that reflect exactly what this design aims to prove, that the harmony between the two types of art is the basis for the formation of an art that serves people in both practical and psychological terms.
The artist shapes his work from his inspiration of the out world or from his experiences there, whether it is applied art or fine art. The process of the work and the art piece are what determines what type of art it is. As many of applied art stems from fine art, where applied art is a fine art has been modified to serve the person in daily life. Like Hotel Liesma Inspired by Music in Jurmala, Latvia, by Jevgenijs Busins and Liva Banka. The most important thing in Architecture is to make the building part of the surrounding environment and to create a harmonious and beautiful view as if it is a painting that attracts the attention of those who see it, as in frank lloyd wright’s designs, where he wanted a practical building to be part of the nature. On the other hand, the development of fine art through the ages to adapt the changing demands of human beings is a sign that fine art is an applied art that serves the human soul and needs as does the applied art serves it.