Bob Ross; Artist or Craftsman?

Exploring the difference between art & craft

​Bob said in an interview, on the Phil Donahue show, that his work would never hang in a museum, and was not "fine art." (see above)
 
I would say Bob was a great craftsman. Based on my many decades of experience as both an artist and a craftsman, (Painter, Blacksmith, Illustrator, Sculptor, Potter, Origami Master, Photographer) I know that art and craft often intersect and morph into each other.
 
It would be a mistake to say or assume one is "better" than another. (It might even be racist to do so in some cases.) Many craftsman pass down traditions through generations, and success is measured based on how well they met the expectations of the previous generation. I own a beautiful Siwa Oasis wedding basket. It is an amazing piece of workmanship with many layers of depth and meaning to its Bedouin culture. It is categorized as a craft. Had its maker incorporated personal items, or chose colors to represent a specific point of view, or had a meaning other than that of a basket and it's cultural significance, it would then become a work of art. 

Wedding Basket from the Siwa Oasis, Egypt.

​THESE ARTISTS (click text for link) use the traditions and knowledge of basket weaving to create sculptural works of art. They are expressive in some ways that are obvious and others that are not so much. Sometimes the difference between art and craft can only be determined by an interview with the maker which is not always possible.
 
In another example, I own a piece of Alebrijes I bought from a family in Oaxaca. It is a work of art though communally created by the family in many steps. The patterns, and animal all have cultural significance, but hold meanings beyond the obvious aesthetic. By speaking with the artist, and his family I learned the deeper significance of this particular work. They do however produce other works at a lower price for the sake of sales, hummingbirds, porcupines, turtles, etc... These they too consider craft. They are purely decorative and do not have any deeper meaning than to be pleasant decorative items that help the family financially.

​Bob Ross is a craftsman with a lot in his tool box... mountains, grasses, happy clouds, majestic trees, etc. They are rendered with a specific set of techniques he learned from another, Bill Alexander, though the actual technique (alla prima) goes back to the 1400s. In the work, a tree is a tree, a mountain is a mountain, so what you see is what you get. There is no "deeper" meaning or significance other than it being attractive. I would argue, as have many others, that this would put Ross' work squarely in the realm of craft. THIS IS NOT A BAD thing, it is a thing that helps reveal context. Many will argue that art cannot be defined. If a banana duct-taped to a wall can be art, why not Bob's work?

If you dig deeper into the life's work of banana artist Maurizio Cattelan, you might think differently. PBS did a good review of this HERE. This further "makes my point," that sometimes, one needs to interview the maker or investigate more to know if the work would be considered art or craft, or in the case of Cattelan, a joke perhaps.

Some people assume art is more expensive than craft, and therefore more "important" or somehow "better." These arguments fall apart with a little scrutiny... Marilyn Monroe's dress, the work of a craftsman, sold for $5.5 million. A Cycladic Marble Figurine sold for nearly $17 million. A Patek Philippe watch sold for over $24 million. An Islamic carpet sold at Sotheby’s in June 2012 for more than $33 million. Many cultural crafts are considered priceless and almost never are bought and sold.
 
So what is the point of making a delineation of what is art and how it might be different than craft?
 
As an art teacher, I see great value in both. I find that helping my students discern the difference is helpful in our discussions. Sometimes not knowing the difference and appreciating those differences can lead to cultural appropriation, or minimizing the cultures of others. This can sometimes result in a kind of elitism or minimizing craft's value. In my opinion, taking a craft exploration and incorporating personal expression can help students understand the context of the culture being explored without appropriating it. HERE is one way I do that.
 
PBS has a good VIDEO on this topic, the difference between Art & Craft.

Let me know your opinion in the comments below.