Distinction between art and craft in Renaissance
In the Renaissance, Italian artisan workshops enjoyed great fame, their values and their skills spread throughout Europe through numerous exchanges connected to the enormous incentives for the development of art and architecture.
But it is precisely at this time, with the return to Classical Antiquity as a source of inspiration, where a clear distinction is established between art as a sublime expression of the spirit, and crafts, as an expression of pure manual skills. Following this distinction crafts were destined to lose much of their social and cultural prestige. Furthermore, the absolute monarchies precluded any political space to them. This scenario forced the artisans to close themselves in their guilds.
Next to this primarily urban situation, there was another lesser known one, which concerned rural crafts, sometimes domestic and done by women, often of a seasonal nature, between cottage industry and folk art.
Now consider and discuss with your tutor the following questions:
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- Why do craftsmen begin to lose much of their cultural and political prestige?
- What is the reason for the emergence of corporations?
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