Porcelain Egg Shaped Teapot by Geoffrey Swindell - Essay Example

Ever since its introduction into the Western world in the late seventeenth century, the form of a teapot has fascinated artists as a vessel. Its various parts, the body, the spout, the handle and the lid, have been put together in an almost infinite variety of combinations, and the vessel itself has been made with myriad shapes, sizes, materials, finishes and functions. The teapot I am about to examine in the course of my essay is the 10cm high porcelain Egg shaped teapot produced this year by Geoffrey Swindell using a dolomite glaze and oxides. As with almost all of Swindell's work, this miniature draws the eye onto its surface detail and structure. The colours move into each other in delicate swirls from greens, browns, blues and turquoise to blacks, whites, beige and mustard. A small spout with brown and pale turquoise glaze is placed on one side of the pot, and a dome shaped lid in shades of brown fits in snugly. A tiny turquoise handle with a minuscule black button is at an angle to the spout, and extrudes out of the surface. The entire egg shape tapers down to a very tiny black foot. (Insert picture here) The irreducible essence of a teapot is its function, in terms of cultural and human ritual terms. By taking away from this teapot its utility, Swindell does not add a conceptual dimension, or vestigial elements to suggest a different meaning, in the manner of poststructural art, where the lack of function becomes a metaphor for something else in the artist's dictionary. The teapot is still just a teapot, quaint, not functional, but definitely a teapot. This teapot is indeed an example of organic art, in a class of its own. Far removed from post-modern jargon and innuendoes, its expressive criteria are not in tune with the deconstructive and discursive atmosphere of contemporary arts practice. As Bernard Kerr says, " By overly conceptualising our work we run the risk of losing the special somatic and sensual qualities that make the ceramic arts unique and special."(Kerr, 2005). When viewing Swindell's work the correct questions to ask would be whether it is a beautiful, nostalgic piece of evanescence made tangible. Swindell seems to capture the volatile charm of nature in this piece, which emerges with new, subtle meanings every time you look at it. Though out time potters have sought to create man made ceramic forms, which echo the sensibilities of nature, sometimes by mimicking nature or through stylisation and abstraction. The history of ceramics is filled with organic masterpieces. (Thames & Hudson, 2001) It does not have enforced explicit and implicit narratives, and it exists not to faithfully portray the tragedies of existence but seeks to alleviate them through beauty in art. As he himself puts it, "Although political and cultural statements have become fashionable with visual artists I do not make work with a conscious message, preferring to deal with the "abstract" qualities of Art."(Swindell, 2005) To me it is a piece that seems to shift under the eye, to ripple and move if I look at it long enough, and I want to pick it up to trace its contours to assure myself it is real. Its structure is engineered and precise, but the surface and colours bring back memories of sandy beaches, worm casts, patterns seen on sand, and lulling waves. This marriage of the man-made and natural has evolved over time, as some of his earlier exhibits have also exuded similar qualities: His vision is much broader than the size of the work initially suggests. He brings together shapes, motifs and surface qualities that simultaneously manage to be evocative of both the natural and man made worlds. (Jeffery Jones, 2003) Tea and teapots have been a comforting part of our culture ever since they were introduced in England. A teapot evokes warmth, security and reassurance, and the diminutive size reinforces this feeling of intimacy: Teapots traditionally belong in a familiar domestic environment, where potters have always had a significant role in reflecting social fashion and culture by providing ware for our quotidian activities. The hand fitting size of the vessel tends to reinforce the cosy intimacy of the domestic setting. (Ann Marais, 2005) This minuteness of scale can be traced back to his childhood when he used to stay in a small room until his youth, and played with petite toys, using his imagination to entertain himself, and thus small sizes made him feel secure: I have always preferred small to large. I feel more comfortable in the environment of a small house. I now work in a studio the same size as the box room I grew up in. (Swindell, 2005) Since the early '70s, Swindell's work has evolved through spinning tops and helmets with narrow, pinched necks and tapering feet, to arrive at the minuscule enclosed vessels of today: "and the most recent have mutated into teapot forms, with the barest suggestions of spouts and handles set at an angle which becomes a purely aesthetic consideration." (Emma Maiden, 2003). He started with collecting small natural objects like seashells and taking elements from them into his work, and the teapot is a consummate work of transformation. According to him, eye faults can be seen on a large piece, but not to that extent on a smaller piece. If the piece is small enough to fit in one's palm, one has an irresistible desire to pick it up and handle it, and this what he intends, so that one would notice and appreciate all the careful attention to detail. The Egg-shaped teapot bears ample witness to this careful artistry and Swindell himself attests, despite its size the teapot was very hard work, or perhaps it was actually because of the minuscule size: We might compare these miniature ceramic forms with, say, the piano miniatures of Janacek or Nielsen-compressed in span, but as full of expressive content as much longer compositions. Each one incorporates a lengthy process of turning and finishing, more akin to that of a jeweller than a potter. (David Briers, 1997) Even before the actual work started, the teapot needed thorough research, where Swindell took photographs of sea shells and man made objects, in order to make collages These fragmented, torn images melded together were the basis for the evolution of the teapot's structure and surface details. Another interesting feature of the teapot is the keyhole shape that I feel is of great significance to the artist and his psyche. It probably harks back to his childhood and has been embedded in his subconscious ever since: I can picture him lying on his small bed watching the light trickle into the room through the keyhole of his door, which became an early icon of imagination and enlightenment. One is left to wonder whether the keyhole in the teapot is actually a symbol of the viewer being allowed a peek into the artist's private miniature world. Swindell's work is intrinsically aesthetic, a beauty that goes deeper than the technical detail. The Egg shaped teapot seems fragile and pristine, yet strong - representing inner strength and tenacity. It is quite close to his ambition of making his work, "appear to be a synthesis of mechanical and organic qualities, like a man-made object being eroded by time and taken back by nature". (Swindell, 2005) The teapot does not bow to the dictates of any theories and conventions that govern the quick rise and fall in fashions in contemporary craft. It is a piece to be admired for its own sake, regardless of one's cultural background: "Richard Anderson argues that we can find something akin to art in all cultures. Certain things are appreciated for their beauty, sensuous form, and skill of creation.'(Cynthia Freeland, 2001) Works Cited Briers, David, "Best of British- Geoffrey Swindell", Crafts, Issue.. Sep-Oct (1997): 58 Del Vecchio, Mark, Postmodern Ceramics, Thames and Hudson, UK, 2001: 42 Freeland, Cynthia, Art Theory - A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2003: . Jones, Jeffrey, "Geoffrey Swindell: Passed and Present", Ceramic Review, Issue 200,Mar- Apr (2003): 55 Kerr, Bernard, "Ceramics and Contemporary Theory Panel", Ceramic Arts Association of Western Australia, Ceramic Arts Association of Western Australia, 28 Oct 2005:6 Lewin-Cadogan, Jan, Private interview with Geoffrey Swindell, Dinys Powys, Cardiff, 10 Sep 2005 Maiden, Emma, "Geoffrey Swindell: Passed and Present", Crafts, Issue.., Mar-Apr(2003):62 Marais, Ann, "Hennie Meyer's Conversation Pieces", Ceramics Art and Perception, Issue 61, (2005): 42 Swindell, Geoffrey, "Sources of Inspiration", Studiopottery, 12 Sep 2005, Studiopottery.co.uk Ltd. 28 Oct. 2005 Swindell, Geoffrey, "Catalogue Geoffrey Swindell", Oakwoodceramics, The Oakwood Gallery, 28 Oct 2005 . Swindell, Geoffrey List of references used: www.oakwoodceramics.co.uk www.studiopottery.co.uk www.aber.ac.uk/ceramics/makers www.artnet.com/artist www.jamesgrahamandsons.com www.ceramics.org/artistinfo crafts magazine march 2003 issue 186 ceramics review magazine march/april 2003 crafts magazine sept/oct 1997 Porcelain and bone china - sasha wardell: The beautiful qualities of porcelain and bone china have fascinated patrons, collectors and makers alike for centuries. The two materials are often perceived as one and the same clay, for they both possess qualities of whiteness, strength and translucency. However, each has its own particular characteristics, which merit further exploration and discussion. Porcelain is a well-documented subject, both in traditional and contemporary terms. Bone china, on the other hand, has historically been labeled an "industrial" material, which has narrowed its appeal. Porcelain and Bone China redresses the balance by demonstrating how these clays have played an equally important role within and outside the industrial domain. Sasha Wardell studied ceramics at England's Bath Academy of Art and Staffordshire Polytechnic as well as the cole des Arts Dcoratitifs in Limoges, France. http://artswork.asu.edu/cec/les02/2_10_profiles.htm Sometimes ceramists make vessels with different profiles in order to meet different functional criteria. For example, a narrow-necked bottle in easily grasped in one hand and a wide-mouthed bowl can hold lots of stacked-up fruit. Ceramists also can decide on profiles to meet expressive criteria. Vessels can express feelings or ideas, such as power, grace, fun, status, boldness, delicacy, nobility, gentleness, or mystery. American ceramist yosoh, aka Scott Rench, creates computer generated images that are printed with a ceramic glaze onto a large canvas of clay. Contemporary studio porcelain - peter laine Geoffrey swindell - by Geoffrey swindell(gave me a copy when I interviewed him) Post Modern Ceramics Thames and Hudson 2001 page 42 Post Modern Ceramics Mark del Vecchio, Thames and Hudson 2001 page 186 Art Theory - a very short introduction, by Cynthia freeland, oxford 2001 Welsh Artists talking to Tony Curtis, poetry welsh press 2000 Sarah Sze - Thames and Hudson new york 1999 Potters - illustrated dictionary, twelfth edition 2000 Contemporary ceramics susan Peterson - calman and king ltd, 2000 would you please include the piece on the 'keyhole' , when I spoke to Geoffrey Swindell, he thought that was a very interesting point, seems to tie in with other aspects from his child hood. Also in the bibliography, you can put in 'personal interview with artist' visited G.Swindell at his home in Dinys Powys, Cardiff. on Monday 10th October. Read More