About Us

Art and craft centres on purpose, unlike the idea of “art for art’s sake”. Look back through history: every tool, every artefact, was made to do something. Excavations show no chisel or tool was ever made just for enjoyment — they cut, dug, opened, built. Everything had a use, every action had meaning. So where did “art for art’s sake” come from? It translates from the French l’art pour l’art, a phrase born in the early 1800s. Philosopher Victor Cousin made it well known — the belief that art needs no function, no reason, and stands entirely on its own. Everything had a purpose, every move intentional. Since when or why this idea art for art’s sake originated? Art for art’s sake is a slogan translated from the French.   l’art pour l’art means art for art’s sake that came into existence in the early 19th century.  The French philosopher Victor Cousin made this famous phrase that expresses the belief, art needs no utility or purpose and that it can exist without any justification.