Is detailing an art form...

Yep! :bigups Like many forms of art, is does rely on some science (e.g., a painter has to understand the properties of watercolor, acrylics, oil, etc.) ... but beyond that, I think it's art and its subdiscipline: technique.
 
Posted by someone on a neophite detailing forum:



"Detailing is no way an art form. The proper training is all that is needed. Any one can detail their car the same way with a little time and effort. To be a art form you would be creating something, in reality you are just cleaning a piece of art. Seems like alot of detailers are getting a little upset that a new product actually works like it is suppose too."
 
dternst said:
Posted by someone on a neophite detailing forum:



"Detailing is no way an art form. The proper training is all that is needed. Any one can detail their car the same way with a little time and effort. To be a art form you would be creating something, in reality you are just cleaning a piece of art. Seems like alot of detailers are getting a little upset that a new product actually works like it is suppose too."
Click to expand...



Meh...yes and no. You can get good results with proper training and good products but you get outstanding results by knowing how to tweak your methods and mix/match products to get the best look on a particular color.
 
I say, no. I'm not an artist.



It's a craft. A professional detailer is a craftsman, a highly skilled professional is an artisan.



From hyperdictionary:



"An artist is one who is skilled in some one of the fine arts; an artisan is one who exercises any mechanical employment. A portrait painter is an artist; a sign painter is an artisan, although he may have the taste and skill of an artist."



It's semantics, but words have meanings for a reason. And anyhow the artificial heirarchy of artists and artisans and journeymen and craftsmen is a contrivance of academia. Give me a skilled artisan over a lousy artist anyday.



You can test that for yourself in a restaurant; would you rather have superbly prepared linguini carbonara, or a poorly conceived veal and pear with pomegranite reduction concoction from a misguided gastronomic artist?





Tom
 
Art form??? Not at all. Knowledge through study, experience through practice, attention to detail and lots of hard labor. Those are the skills of a detailer. Art is creating something. Detailing is cleaning. You will never see a Ford Focus sitting in a museum to display its shine or cleanliness. You'll never see a hotel room put on display to exhibit the crafts of the chamber maid.

Building a chopper from scratch or creating a illusion from clay. Thats art. You will find them in galleries. Rubbing a car hood with polish or vacuuming automotive carpets is not art.

Some of my customers say Im an artist when I detail their cars. Its flattering but its just expensive glorified maid service for their cars. About one step above shoe shine boy....which I guess some would call art as well.

Lets not get too egotistical here.
 
Very thought out responses. I'm hoping I get more responses.



Thanks to all of you that have or will respond.



David
 
Someone provide this response on another forum that I wanted to share:



"According to "webster"..., YES, positively!!!

People seem to only think of painting or music when they think of art..., but there is no real limitations to art"
 
Thats great! My wife will be happy to know that getting the toilet clean as a whistle is actually an art form.... according to Webster. Maybe some of the local galleries would be interested in her art.
 
dternst said:
Is detailing an art form?
Click to expand...



Yes, detailing is an art form.



Anyone ever see a childs coloring book? Wouldn't you consider those colorful pictures a form of art?



Think about it. Young children do not attend art schools and I don't know of any young toddlers who ever got a diploma for studying art. And I don't think they log onto any internet art forums. Yet they are all able to create those beautiful pictures in their coloring books. Pretty amazing stuff.



Hey, maybe we should ask these kids about detailing.
 
well i think about it this way...anyone can buy $100 of paints and brushes, but not be able to make a masterpiece, u have to have the skill, knowledge, patience, and talent...kinda like detailing..
 
I think it is a combination of both...craftsmanship & art. But, I do believe detailing is more so aimed towards craftsmanship. The passion, and focus is very common in art....and detailing. Yes, it is true, detailing is not art related to painting, sculpting, etc.......it could be considered a type of art when you think about it.
 
This is a rather odd question, methinks.



I'll make what I consider to be a pretty good analogy...it's kind of like what people to do preserve old paintings. I'm not sure what that's called, but I'm sure there's a word for it. I think it's a bit like that...are those people artists? Most definitely.
 
Dr. Woo, I disagree with that. They are using science to clean art. The painting is the art. Cleaning the art using technique and chemicals is science. Thats the same thing that we do. We use science (however limited our knowledge may be) to detail cars.

If a machinists uses a piece aluminum to make a one of a kind piece, he has created art in some eyes. The guy that made the aluminum used science. The machinist cleans and polishes the piece after he makes it. The piece is the art. Polishing the surface to improve its appearance is simply using predictable science.



It may just be personal perspective. Personally I dont see how washing fine china dishes is actually art. The dish is the art. Cleaning the food off of it is not a creation of anything. Its just romoving the unwanted remnants of food from the piece of art. using Dawn to do this is not an art either. Its just using predictable learned science.
 
Well, we could get into a never ending :argue just debating what "art" is. Esthetics can be a rather complicated subject, or at least one given to *VERY* different opinions/interpretations (I recently read What Art Is by Torres and Kamhi, *VERY* interesting, IMO).



I too consider detailing to be a "craft".
 
WORDS HAVE MEANINGS. Saying a thing is another thing does not make it so.



No matter how much skill is required, it is not an art, because the word "art" does not mean the kind of thing that detailing is.



That in no way makes the SKILL of detailing any easier. But it also does not imbue it with a creativity that it does not have.





Tom
 
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