I've begun reading Kitchen Confidential. Anthony Bourdain's warm and puckish storytelling style is a treat. I'm only a few chapters in, but he now feels like a personal friend.
This thing he says about artists and craftsmen has been on the periphery of my thoughts all week.
Bourdain makes this observation in the context of the relationship between the sous and head chefs in a restaurant kitchen.
From his perspective, the egoic identity and its interplay with your life's work determine the distinction between an artist and a craftsman.
This is likely a false binary. Surely, one can try to be both in an entire lifetime.
Still, it's helpful to delineate this distinction.
When is one an artist, and when is one a craftsman? And what are things they each do well?
Artists are in service of the creative self. They're audacious. They're typically fashioned as brilliant and enigmatic. They have bright ideas and are not afraid to stand in their power and express them.
Craftsmen are more mellow and meditative. Theirs is a devoted practice that is concentrated on the doing. This is not a self-aggrandizing activity. It's an act of service. They help the greats bring their visions to being.
Diego Rivera is known for his large-scale frescoes depicting social and political themes. He collaborated with skilled muralists, known as "maestros," who helped him execute these monumental works.
But what happens when the essence of artists and craftsmen come together? Walter Gropius, a German architect and the founder of the Bauhaus philosophy, was of the view that these sorts of collaborations alchemized to create the greatest works of history.
The principle of the unity of art and craft, also known as "Gesamtkunstwerk" (total work of art), was a central tenet of Bauhaus philosophy. This principle emphasized the dissolution of the traditional boundaries that had separated arts from crafts
The Bauhaus sought to bridge the gap between artists and craftsmen, recognizing that both had valuable contributions to make in the creation of beautiful, functional objects.
Artists were encouraged to work closely with skilled artisans and craftsmen. This collaboration was seen as essential for achieving the highest quality in design. Artists could bring innovative ideas, creativity, and a sense of aesthetics, while craftsmen possessed the technical expertise and knowledge of materials necessary to bring these ideas to life.
Bourdain's comparison of artists and craftsmen in the culinary world reflects a larger conversation about these roles in other creative fields.
For beauty and purpose, the contributions of artists and craftsmen are both significant. Artists are often the visionary, bold innovators who push boundaries. Meanwhile, craftsmen use their dedication to precision and technique to bring these visions to life.
However, movements like the Bauhaus demonstrate that the line between art and craft is not fixed. It can blur and merge, resulting in new dimensions of creativity. I guess there is a time and place for both.