Baskets: craft and fine arts

The Woven Shapes of Fine Art Objects

Making baskets is undoubtedly one of mankind's oldest art forms. From the most primitive to the most sophisticated they are the illustration of the fundamentally human desire to introduce beauty into our day to day lives. Today the term design has become more and more associated with modern industrial product design, as initiated by the Bauhaus movement in Germany during the early 20th Century, but as one can see here design is in fact a very old and well-worn practice. Practically speaking, baskets are easy to incorporate into one’s day to day life as the bearers of flowers or of fruit, and although elementary in nature, the subtle intricacies of their design can add a hint of sophistication to any decor – even sometimes as works of art unto themselves!

Primitive Native American Indian basket with a woven twig interior, the surface of which is stitched with broad leaves. A primitive piece that could easily pass for a work of modern art.

A large primitive Native American Indian basket covered with hand painted fabric.

Nantucket Basket

Typical Nantucket contemporary woven basket with whalebone details.

A carved scrimshaw plate depicts a whale hunting scene.

Japanese Baskets, Early 20th Century

Japanese bamboo baskets have a very long history. Until the 16th century they were largely utilitarian and rustic objects. Those with any aesthetic value were mostly imported from China. Reflecting the formalism of the Confusianism, they presented a perfect symmetry in form and a regularity in their woven technique. The first crucial turning point in the history of Japanese basketry resulted from the codification of a Japanese-style tea ceremony in the 16th century. The baskets were categorized in two different styles: wamono (Japanese) and karamono (Chinese). Wamono baskets are simple and unpretentious with forms inspired by utilitarian objects.