托福阅读题目练习：实用艺术和纯艺术
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Although we now tend to refer to the various craftsaccording to the materials used to construct them-clay, glass, wood, fiber, and metal-it was oncecommon to think of crafts in terms of function, which led to their being known as the "applied arts." Approaching crafts from the point of view offunction, we can divide them into simple categories: containers, shelters and supports. There is no way around the fact that containers, shelters, and supports must be functional. The applied arts are thus bound by the laws of physics, which pertain to both the materials used in their making and the substances and things to becontained, supported, and sheltered. These laws are universal in their application, regardlessof cultural beliefs, geography, or climate. If a pot has no bottom or has large openings in itssides, it could hardly be considered a container in any traditional sense. Since the laws ofphysics, not some arbitrary decision, have determined the general form of applied-
artobjects, they follow basic patterns, so much so that functional forms can vary only withincertain limits. Buildings without roofs, for example, are unusual because they depart from thenorm. However, not all functional objects are exactly alike; that is why we recognize a ShangDynasty vase as being different from an Inca vase. What varies is not the basic form but theincidental details that do not obstruct the object's primary function.
Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-
artobjects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-
art objects. Thisassumption misses a significant difference between the two disciplines. Fine-
art objects are notconstrained by the laws of physics in the same way that applied-
art objects are. Because theirprimary purpose is not functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used tomake them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of theproperties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers sothat the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These areproblems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or herconception of the work. For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues ofhorses with a raised foreleg usually had a cannonball under that hoof. This was done becausethe cannonball was needed to support the weight of the leg. In other words, the demands ofthe laws of physics, not the sculptor's aesthetic intentions, placed the ball there. That thisdevice was a necessary structural compromise is clear from the fact that the cannonballquickly disappeared when sculptors learned how to strengthen the internal structure of astatue with iron braces (iron being much stronger than bronze).
Even though the fine arts in the twentieth century often treat materials in new ways, the basicdifference in attitude of artists in relation to their materials in the fine arts and the applied artsremains relatively constant. It would therefore not be too great an exaggeration to say thatpractitioners of the fine arts work to overcome the limitations of their materials, whereas thoseengaged in the applied arts work in concert with their materials.
Paragraph 1: Although we now tend to refer to the various crafts according to the materialsused to construct them-clay, glass, wood, fiber, and metal-
it was once common to think ofcrafts in terms of function, which led to their being known as the "applied arts." Approachingcrafts from the point of view of function, we can divide them into simple categories: containers, shelters and supports. There is no way around the fact that containers, shelters, and supportsmust be functional. The applied arts are thus bound by the laws of physics, which pertain toboth the materials used in their making and the substances and things to be contained, supported, and sheltered. These laws are universal in their application, regardless of culturalbeliefs, geography, or climate. If a pot has no bottom or has large openings in its sides, it couldhardly be considered a container in any traditional sense. Since the laws of physics, not somearbitrary decision, have determined the general form of applied-
art objects, they follow basicpatterns, so much so that functional forms can vary only within certain limits. Buildingswithout roofs, for example, are unusual because they depart from the norm. However, not allfunctional objects are exactly alike; that is why we recognize a Shang Dynasty vase as beingdifferent from an Inca vase. What varies is not the basic form but the incidental details that donot obstruct the object's primary function.
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