Ceramic art and its various forms
The art of pottery might be the oldest one among all other forms of art and it has been proven to exist even 8000 years ago when people used to mix clay and water and used to heat the mixture till it got into the desired shape. The invention of pottery and ceramic art was developed as a tool to create more vessels like glasses and bowls and it ultimately led to the improvement in the standard of living. The evolution in the overall technology and methods used in case of pottery has been directly proportional to the growing use of pottery products such as vessels, storage containers, and serving medium for food and involved fluids. However, there very significant differences between the current form of pottery art and the one developed by the ancient Chinese. This essay aims at exploring the techniques adopted by the early Chinese potters in creating pottery and understanding how has evolved to the current day process.
How the early Chinese ceramists shaped their processes to create pottery art?
The Chinese history of pottery is currently supposed to initiate from the Xianrendong Cave Pottery (carbon dated to be around 18000 BCE) and that of the Yuchanyan Cave pottery (carbon dated to be around 16000 BCE) (Visual Arts, 2013). Almost all of these pottery works are hand-made by using the process of coiling and then roasted through massive bonfires. The decoration and designs on the articles are generally made by using natural processes like stamping, embossing, and impressionist form of design work. The systematic growth of the Chinese ceramic art directly owed to eventual use of the delicate, surface-finished, and colorful earthen and porcelain vessels in various religious and social ceremonies.
The other prominent art forms in early Chinese pottery were from various Chinese dynasties which reformed the process of pottery. For example, the Yangshao culture was marked by the introduction of painted ceramic vessels. However, later the Shang dynasty (16th century) was found to be more inclined towards the use of stone and bronze for designing and decorating the vessels of the prominent personalities of the society(Visual Arts, 2013). By this time, the ceramic and clay pots were deprived of the elite status symbol and were usually meant to be used by common people. However, the introduction of the tri-colored glazed pottery by the Tang dynasty was the biggest reform for the art of pottery making. The ceramists of this era mixed various metal oxides (like alumina) with clay and baked the mixture at low temperatures. Thus, the tricolored shade on the resultant pottery highlighted the hues of yellow, brown, and green.
The stoneware were made in the 15th century China when the ceramists used to convert the natural grey shade of the stoneware clay to light brown color by firing it between 1100-1300 degrees Celsius. Most of the commercial wares of this era were made by use stoneware clay. Similarly, the porcelain art was developed in China by the Tang dynasty when the ceramists mixed glass in the white clay and fired it between 1200 to 1450 degrees Celsius to get the cream shade of the final porcelain material(Visual Arts, 2013).
In terms of decoration and surface finish related methods, the Chinese art took it almost the 15th century to commence the proper creation of stoneware and porcelain art(Visual Arts, 2013). The introduction of stone and metal for the creation of the art was extremely prominent and the Chinese graves of prominent persons have been found with pottery and earthenware developed by the use of bronze, stones, and lacquering technique materials which were made from using bamboo wood and bronze. The lacquer material was specifically found in the pottery and earthenware for decorative purposes because of its good surface finish properties.
Modern pottery artists and their famous works
This segment focuses on the main pottery artists of the modern period and their most famous work to understand how the art has evolved from the early Chinese era to the current state.
Shoji Hamada (1894-1978) - Hamada is one of the most renowned Japanese ceramists and is known for his art being majorly influence from the Mingei art form. Hamada’s sole focus was on making the utilitarian pots and he used a wide range of decorative processes like wax polishing, glaze trailing, paintbrush décor, and highly finished enamel coating on his art. He was extremely imfluenced by the use of color for decorative purposes.
Hamada’s famous ‘black tea pot’ is an exclusive piece of art and stands as a signature work of the artist. The black color background has the abstract Mingei art design which is developed using the sal glazing technique where Hamada used to sprinkle salt in the furnace to gain the glaze.
Michael Cardew (1901- 1983)- Cardew is a famous British ceramist who was known for his exquisite work in the field of stoneware and the slip art earthenware . He acquired the Nigerian art form of pottery called as Abuja and practiced it later in his works. Initially he was inspired by the use of porcelain and white clay as he admired the work of great Japanese potter Shoji Hamada, but he later developed his own version of slip decorated earthenware and won great accolades for his art.
Cardew’s famous work of the yellow porcelain bowl stands as an epitome of his work. The design and decoration on the outer curved surface is a blend of the Japanese art form and the Abuja form of art forms. The use of porcelain and impressionist design also imply the use of earlier Chinese form of surface finish and design.
Chu Teh-Chun (1920-2014) - Chu Teh-Chun is famous Chinese/French artist who was known for his unconventional blend of traditional Chinese and Western art forms. He was typically a painter but his paintings on pottery and ceramic art has further gained appreciation worldwide for their unique designs and colors. He was so influenced with the abstract form of designs by French artist Nicholas de Stael that he abandoned figurative designs completely and resorted to abstract form of designs on his paintings.
The vase painted by Chu Teh-Chun is a signature work of his art and the use of dark blue paint on the white ceramic background has glorified the artistic value of the piece. There are sporadic highlights of golden shade which provide an additional glaze to the overall surface finish of the design. The design is typical form of abstract art which seems to be a hybrid of the Chinese and western art forms.
Ann Agee (1959-) Ann Agee is famous American artist who is known for her exemplary visual designs specifically on the ceramic objects. She has been reckoned with an extremely unique sense of design and visual art where she generally rephrases the conventional blue and white design schemes on the ceramic objects and gives them an entirely different appearance. She has currently diversified her canvas to wallpapers and interior decoration projects.
Her most renowned work is The Lake Michigan bathroom which shows the design of an entire bathroom’s interior using her typical style of blue and white ceramic art visual design. The design form is typically western in nature and the use of blue and white shades in extremely prominent to provide a cultural form of design.
References
Visual Arts(2013).Chinese Pottery (18,000 BCE - 1911 CE).Development of Porcelain, Celadon, Stoneware. Retrieved online from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/east-asian-art/chinese-pottery.htm
