20th Century Studio Pottery - Essay Example

Topic: 20th Century Studio Pottery Pottery has been a long time craft of human kind. The development of pottery was a milestone in human history. These durable and watertight containers enabled people to boil and steam food for the first time which allowed them to exploit new sources of food such as shellfish, acorns, and leafy vegetables. Soft boiled foods could be eaten by toothless children and the elderly, which permitted caregivers to spend more time producing food. In Japan, for example, the introduction of pottery was followed by a population explosion. Ceramics had been developed mush earlier in Europe. Mostly of the archaeologists believe that pottery was developed by the Jomon in Japan around 10,500 BC. The invention of the potter's wheel in Mesopotamia was made 6,000 and 2,400 BC. This leads to the revolution of the pottery production. This was the way to the new ideas for the designs of pottery. Specialized potters were then able to meet the burgeoning needs of the world's first cities. Pottery is a type of ceramic material that contains clay when formed and shaped. Not only for making jars, pottery is also a term used in a technique where involving ceramics, where clay mixed with other minerals and form into different objects, like that of vessels generally made for utilitarian purposes (Wikipedia Encyclopedia, 2006). It is a facility of any size and form or shape that also needs to have studio for the making of the pots or the products. It also needs available raw materials and the molders. Like other manufacturing processes, potery is also a delicate proces. Its production is a process where wet clay body. The pottery products are made of wet clay which are mixed with other minerals. It is then shaped and are dried. The pieces formed are then "bisque" in a kiln to induce permanent changes that resultinincreased mechanical strength, and then fireda second time after adding a glaze. Pottery has two types. Aesthetic and artistic considerations have often been part of the formation of the pottery vessels, but modern mass production techniques have replaced the traditional role of pottery with mechanized reproduction, which has in turn caused the pottery industry to be more into aesthetic than the utilitarian in industrialized nations. The industry has embraced the new concepts in constructing new styles and designs. The artistry has flourished that there have been different idea and concepts in making new pottery (Grolier Encyclopedia, 1996). Traditionally, there are different types of clay in different world regions. These different types of clay are called bodies. Before, the potters usually dig their native clayin their own backyards. They use their own clay to produce the pots but now the potters collect different bodies or clay types to form unique pots. Pottery that is fired at temperatures in the 800 to 1200 C range, which does not vitrify in the kiln but remains slightly porous is often called earthenware or terra cotta. A Clay body formulated to be fired at higher temperatures, which is partially vitrified, is called stoneware. Fine earthenware with a white tin glaze is known as faience. Porcelain is a very refined, smooth, white body that, when fired to vitrification, can have translucent qualities. Ceramic technology is used for items such as electronic parts and Space Shuttle tiles (Universal Encyclopedia, 1993). There are two known artist for Pottery. Next to Leach is Hans Cooper. Together with Cooper is his good friend Lucy Rie. Lucy is the one who put on prints and designs on the pots produced by Copper. Their team up resulted into a very unique chemistry. In an interview conducted by Matthew Parkington on Emmanuel Cooper who is an avid fan of Hans Cooper (2001), Emmanuel Copper tried to translate the meaning of the works or products made by H. Copper. Much of the works of H. Cooper according to E. Cooper, by just looking at the works of Hans you would say that it is plain and simple but if you look at the details there's a mystery behind the craft. E. Cooper said that though he hasn't met H. Cooper for him to witness his exhibits is already a nice experience being a fan collector of his works. E. Cooper said that though the vases and pots made by H. Copper are simple, it has something to do more on the texture and the figure. Mostly of the works of Hans implies multi figures. It is up to the one seeing it how it is for them. Also the work of Hans implies the works of the potters way back two to three thousand years in the Mediterranean. The people of this part of the world in that time were making pottery that concerns about figures and H. Cooper works are somehow with in that range of style. This is like a drawing at the top in the way that it defines the whole thing. The surface of his works is not so interesting. Coper's use of various processes to get the surface that he did is a little bit mysterious. Nobody quite knows how he did it. He put on a layer of slip, a mixture of ball clay and china clay, rubbed it off with a pan scrubber and then put on another layer and rubbed it off, and he built up multi-layers, but this is not so successful. It's only when you begin to get a bit of the breaking around these little areas here where you get a bit of the body coming through that it starts to come to life. The works of Hans is more of ambiguity and uniqueness. As the world progresses, all its industry has climbed also. With its inclination to progress is the industry of Pottery. There are a a lot of pottery factory around the world right now. Collectors are even diversifying their kinds of artifact collected. Among the known person for pottery is Bernard Howell Leach. Bernard Leach was a son of a colonial Judge in Hong Kong and his maternal grandparents were missionaries in Japan. At an early age he was already exposed to the culture and society of the East. His mother died soon after he was born and so grew up his first four years with his grandparents before rejoining his father. When he was 10 he was sent to England to be educated and studied at the Slade School of Art. He first entered the world of banking and found out it was not for him. What he was in line to be in the world of art and craft. He studied in London School of Art I 1906 and returned to Japan to teach etching. After visiting a gallery Bernard was invited to a party was a number of artists were, for recreation, painting pottery. A number of unglazed pots were brought in and they were invited to decorate them with different glazes. An hour later the raku pieces were removed from the kiln and Leach became enthralled. He was recommended to take tuition from Kenzan VI, heir to a great and famous tradition of pottery. Ceramics were from now on a continuous part of Leach's life. In 1920 Leach made plans to return to England. These plans included Shoji Hamada, who had followed Leach's work through many exhibitions. He continued his studies in glaze chemistry at the Ceramic Institute in Kyoto, but had become more not satisfied with the prospect of a potters life in Japan. In contrast Leach's life seemed to be exciting and so it was decided that Hamada would go to England with Leach. Soon after arriving in St. Ives and setting up his pottery Bernard Leach became an active member of the artistic community. In the late 1920's the St. Ives Society of Artists set up the first exhibition space in Porthmeor Studios and in 1949 the pen with Society of Arts was formed with Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Bernard Leach among its members (Leach Pottery, 2006). Due to the exposure of Leach from the Oriental culture, it was greatly evident in his crafts of modern pottery. The Japanese aesthetic as expressed in their ceramic art can indeed be very beautiful. Every artist or scientist whether Christian or non-Christian is working in God's world, discovering and reinterpreting His creation. In the exhibit launched in London entitled "The 20th Century Japanese Ceramics" coincides with the Asian Art in London. Concentrating on Living National Treasure artists, this sale includes works by Bernard Leach, revealing the connotation of his involvement in the Japanese Mingei movement, alongside examples from all of the most founding figures of the Mingei movement through to the present day followers of those early masters. Works by potters of the post war avant-guard Sodeisha movement are also offered (Contemporary Ceramics, 2006). The fact that an eastern aesthetic achieved cultural dominance in the west points to the spiritual bankruptcy of the post-Christian west. The same pattern is repeated in the other arts as well as in other areas of life. The New Age movement is a manifestation of the same search for a lost faith. When a culture is dead, people will go looking elsewhere for roots, symbols and a new way to express meaning, purpose and values (Rowntree, 2006). An example of craft by Leach is the ceramic dish entitled "The Onion Seller". This work of art is an implication about livelihood and supports the idea about how it is hard to live with such livelihood. This craft is also a mirror about trade and commerce since it involves selling. In the culture of Japan, a lot of its countrymen are into trading and in the world of commerce. The works of Leach simply signifies the culture he had been through. This clearly emphasizes the influence of society's daily encounter and cultures standing. The Onion Seller The oriental culture is greatly known for their reach culture and society. Their beliefs had truly encrypted into their crafts and are expressed well. From religion up to their stories told from their pasts are evidently preserved up tot his moment. One of the expensive work of art of the oriental people is the ceramics. It is also a known kind of pottery. Though it is kind of ironic to state that those crafts had expressed their pasts and cultures, it is the modernized idea of the potters laid in those pottery works that has beenshowed to the artists exhibitions on pottery. Together with the art of pottery, there have been other forms of arts encrypted with it. One of these forms of art is painting. It is already an old practice to incorporate painting to put designs on the pottery it is never obsolete. Painting always goes with pottery for designs. Not only painting had imparted its designs to pottery, since the time of revolution of this industry, their have been etching or carving as well. It has added statement and new image to the pottery products. It has added texture and different appearance to pottery. This kind of art has added the sense of touch to the craft. A lot of the pottery right now had engaged in this kind of artistry in their products. Colors are being experimented into pottery. The potters have incorporated different techniques in incorporating the colors. They may use dyes to color the clays or may simply use textile paints in creating a unique floor for the products. The potters had even invented new shapes for the pots. From the conventional shapes of pots to slender tall and indefinite shapes, the potters had explored that far. In this century, the collectors of the products of pottery have been craving for more expressive designs. As mentioned above a lot of the designs were mostly affected of human culture and society. The modernized approach to this industry has inculcated the genre this century had made. Today, the potters had focused mostly of their works to texture and concept. The pottery products are mostly used for displays in houses and other establishments like offices. It has added ambiance to the place where it is being displayed. If the concept is more about nature, the collectors put pottery products that usually have earthly colors and earthly designs. Some may use to this concept are those conventional clay pots and jars. If the concept of the place will be more of modernized world or techno ambiance, the pots are usually of light and vocal colors and have abstract designs on it. The shapes also of the pottery products counts to the moods it implies. Mostly of the pottery products of today are totally used for aesthetics. It has become one of those wonderful displays and had put up new way of using it not just displays but containers as well. Even candle holders are made of those ceramics and clays already. Figurines are part already in this industry and had put up big money to all those artists taking this kind of business. Mostly of the artists and the factory see to it that their designs are world class and can express the craft they represents in their place as souvenirs. With the revolution the artistry of this industry, it is never impossible to create more of the unique styles and designs. It is becoming a world class business to a lot of known artist. In the beginning of the 20th century alone it has gone through a long mile to experiment on the new concepts of the industry. But what is more evident and clear to this crafts are the reflections of the society and culture influences on how the pottery products are made. References: Universal Encyclopedia (1993). Pottery. Lordoc Publishing House, Inc.: Singapore. Grolier Encyclopedia (1996). Pots. Smith Publishing Company: U.S. A. Rowntree(2006). Ceramic Art in the 20thCentury ( An internet source). 21 May 2006. Leach Pottery (2006). History of Leach Pottery (An internet source). 21 My 2006. Wikipedia Encyclopedia (2006). Pottery.http://www.oldandsold.com/articles04/pottery2.shtml Partington (2001). Emmanuel Cooper on Hans Cooper (An edited transcript of an interview). 21 May 2006. Contemporary Ceramics (2006). The 20th Century Japanese Ceramics. 21 May, 2006. Contemporary Ceramics (2006). Bonham's Ceramics Sales. 21 May, 2006. Read More