In the mid-eighteenth century, Charles Batteux, in his treatise Les Beaux-Arts réduits à un même principe," drew for the first time a precise and hierarchical boundary between the arts created “solely for pleasure” and those that pursue “utility” alongside—or instead of—pleasure. This seemingly theoretical distinction in fact laid the foundation for one of the most enduring debates in modern aesthetics: “fine art” versus “craft.”

The present essay approaches the concept of craft not as a category defined in opposition to fine art, but as an element of resistance within the historical trajectory of art. Along this path, craft in its broader contemporary sense is used to encompass all forms of applied art and design, ranging from traditional handicrafts to industrial design, modern design practices, and contemporary activist projects.