There is art for the sake of art, and then there is art that serves a purpose.
Ornate lamps like this one from late 19th century Eastern Europe are on display in the Jewish Museum's exhibit
When it comes down to it, it’s about the difference between art that is produced for an aesthetic purpose and a functional apparatus that happens to simultaneously serve an aesthetic purpose. Simply put, sometimes art is only a fringe benefit. That should not be taken lightly. At least, the Jewish Museum doesn’t seem to think so. On December 2, the museum unveiled a new exhibit called “An Artist Remembers: Hanukkah Lamps Selected by Maurice Sendak.” Now, Hanukkah lamps are not typically meant for museums. While they are often seen on display, their first and foremost role in Judaism is entirely functional. Any artistic quality they might assume is only secondary to their original, intended purpose. Of course, this is only on the condition that it is Hanukkah time. I happen to find this mere observation intriguing enough as it is, but there’s a lot more about the exhibit that warrants interest.
According to the Jewish Museum’s website, most of the thirty-three lamps on display come from Eastern Europe. Thus, a large part of the lamps are surviving remnants from Jewish families who went through the Holocaust. For renowned author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, whose own parents were Holocaust survivors, selecting the pieces was a moving experience, one that profoundly stirred his deep sense of loss for family members who perished in the Holocaust. “We hope that visitors will be moved in various ways by the lamps. For Maurice Sendak, they are powerful repositories of memory, embodying stories that illuminate the past for new generations,” remarked Susan Braunstein and Claudia Nahson, the organizers of the exhibit. The public is invited to share their thoughts on the exhibit on a board that will be displayed in the museum.
It is not often that one finds such a poignant crossroads of history, art, religion, and collective memory all in a single exhibit. It sounds like quite an informative and inspiring experience. The exhibit closes on January 29, 2012.
I love that you brought up the idea of functional objects becoming art. When you say the word “art,” most people immediately think of paintings and sculptures. They think of the Mona Lisa or David. They think of the painters and sculptors responsible for them. They think of Pablo Picasso. They think of de Kooning. They think of Michelangelo and da Vinci. But there is so much more in the world that can be considered art, and this exhibit in the Jewish Museum is not the only example. The largest and most popular exhibits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art all feature objects that at one point in history may have served a purpose (and now serve as something for tourists to gawk at). There may be ornate vases or jugs, plates, bowls, forks, spoons, hair clips, combs, etc. We look at them and think “pretty” but it is important to remember that these things were recovered by archaeologists at archaeological sites and that they once served one purpose or another for the people who made them. They reveal the past to us, just as the Hanukkah lamps reveal the past. I would go to see this exhibit at the Jewish Museum, if only to simply get an impression of the past.
Hannukah lamps are a great example of a functional object fashioned with artistic design. They remind me of the elaborately molded cabinetry from 18th century Europe exhibited at the Met or the ornately fabricated chairs from the 1700s in the American furniture exhibit. Art is a fascinating record of history and there is even more to learn when it contains practical religious significance, as such. It is a Jewish custom that when one is performing a religious act, he/she should do so in the most beautiful way, accounting for many of the exquisitely crafted Hanukkah lamps on display.
I fondly remember when I used to make Hannukah lamps in art class from nursery up until about sixth grade. Each year, we would be given new materials and supplies and were told to create a Hannukah lamp to our liking which would indeed be used that Hannukah. But there were rules. As beautiful as a lamp may be, if it does not follow Jewish guidelines it may not be used as a religious artifact. This is how one can distinguish between lamps that were used in practice and lamps that served only an aesthetic purpose. The exhibit at the Jewish museum will be an interestingly personal cultural experience for me. And maybe one day when I become famous, my very own Hannukah lamps from elementary school will be put on display!
This post really highlights the important argument about the use of art in the real world. It is all nice and good to be able to go to a museum and look at a painting done by Frans Halls and appreciate it. It is another thing to go to your house and light a candelabra that could be in a museum. Function does not necessarily dictate art or lack of art. The entire “readymade” artistic movement that Marcel Duchamp is champion of draws into focus this argument. When he signs a bicycle handlebar, the object goes from being worth pennies to priceless. Many people find fault with Duchamp and are mad when they walk through the Moma’s galleries. While they may be mad, they are probably talking about whether this is art or not, thereby validating Duchamp, and his method for making art contentious.
The issue of art and function as it relates more specifically to this article is more interesting because this exhibition is now on display in the Jewish museum. The candelabras on display have been used in rituals, and are beautiful, but only after they are functional. But maybe this is the best form of art. If something is both aesthetically pleasing, and functional, it is the best of both worlds. Paintings typically have the aestheics, and appliances typically are functional. Being both, makes it a pleasure to use the object and should be the goal of the artists who designs objects.