Tag - ceramic-scene

 
 

CERAMIC SCENE

Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Apr 5, 2007
The rewards of hardship
One of Japan's most influential 20th-century ceramic artists, Mineo Okabe, was relatively unknown -- and certainly under-appreciated -- during his lifetime. Today, though, potters take great inspiration from, and collectors go gaga over, the bold new forms and styles he created.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Dec 7, 2006
New forms of old traditions at the Japan Society
Over the past several years there have been quite a few exhibitions of Japanese ceramics overseas, but "Contemporary Clay/Japanese Ceramics for the New Century," which is now at the Japan Society Gallery in New York, is the most brilliant by far.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Aug 24, 2006
Crafting the tea demon in Hagi
Psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), in his theory of self-actualization, said, "If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Dec 22, 2005
Looking back on 10 years of yakimono
In the 10 years since this column started, much has changed in the worldwide perception of yakimono, Japanese ceramic art. I'm talking about in the contemporary realm, not antiques. The deep and wide world of contemporary Japanese ceramic art is as varied as there are stars in a brilliant winter night sky.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Sep 29, 2005
Raku's hand-held universes and the unseen pots of Kamoda
The phrase "contemplation of the everyday object as a mystical resource" graces the back of a catalog from the 1998 Raku exhibition that toured Europe. I say it over and over in my mind like a mantra, challenging myself to be aware of the things I live with and how they not only satisfy my needs but also nourish my spirit. Although the item referred to there was chawan (tea bowl), it could apply to anything.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Aug 31, 2005
Porcelain horizons, modern monoliths
There are works of art that, maybe only once in our lifetime, may define an era and capture life's boundless spirit with a beauty that both moves the heart and deepens the experience of existence.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jul 27, 2005
Liberating Japan's world of ceramics
In the ceramic world of early 20th-century Kyoto, Chinese ceramics, not Kyo-yaki (Kyoto-style pottery) were the rage of the day, and any potter worth a spin on the wheel strove to emulate them. In form and color, the ability to perfectly copy an ancient Sung dynasty vase was held up as the highest peak a Kyoto potter could climb. Kyoto was to remain bound in a Chinese spell for at least four decades, until World War II changed everything.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jun 29, 2005
Hidden gems in clay
Any new publication on Japanese ceramic art in English is a welcome addition to the few books on the subject. Like "Masterpieces of Modern Japanese Pottery from the Gisela Freudenberg Collection" currently showing in Frankfurt, Germany, many of these publications coincide with exhibitions and serve to educate the visitor on Japanese ceramic art information. This time the new tie-in book is from Germany, highlighting a private collection put together over three decades and now showing at the Museum fur Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany until Aug. 28.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
May 18, 2005
Spectacular diversity of clay
As noted in this column last month, Japanese ceramic art is finding a wider audience overseas. Many collectors search out the great potters of the past, such as Shoji Hamada (1894-1978) or Kanjiro Kawai (1890-1966), while more savvy collectors are looking to find out who's hot in Japan today.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Apr 20, 2005
The Koreans who potted in Kyushu
Japan has long been fascinated with outside influences, and voraciously absorbs them in order to create something totally unique. This can be found in almost all aspects of Japanese industry and culture -- and it is nowhere more apparent than in the pottery born in Kyushu. Of course, ancient kilns dating back to the dawn of Japanese civilization are to be found on Kyushu, yet it wasn't until the late 1590s with the influx of Korean potters -- in the "Pottery Wars" -- that the island's pottery really matured.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Mar 30, 2005
Asia week sees debut show of a famous celadon potter
New Asian art becomes the talk of the town each spring -- not just in Tokyo or Beijing -- but in New York City where its annual Asia Week is now in full sway. Exhibitions abound in the Big Apple with some of the world's top dealers offering their treasures to collectors who visit from around the world. Needless to say, Japanese art is well-represented in all genres.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Feb 16, 2005
Former prime minister's pride of pots
"On a sunny day I go to the fields, and, when it rains, I read. Simple enough, isn't it?" Sounds like the words of a cute obachan out in the countryside, but these are the words of former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa who now leads a quiet, secluded life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jan 19, 2005
Female potter smashes tradition
In Japan it is quite rare to find women woodfire potters, who make their work in a traditional anagama (tunnel kiln) or noborigama (chambered climbing kiln).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Dec 22, 2004
Dreams for a perfectly set table come true
"Everybody sets out to do something, and everybody does something, but no one does what he sets out to do," said Irish author George Moore of the good intentions that abound in life. Setting an idea in motion is often more important than the end result, whether one creates products, ideas, or life itself. Kenkichi Tomimoto (1886-1963) is one example someone of Japan's finest and most influential ceramic artists, ever. Although he is well known for his huge ornamental works, in his own words he wished "to produce large quantities of inexpensive vessels that have been designed by a true artist and manufactured in a coordinated, well-organized pottery, in order that every kind of person, in every kind of house can use it; inexpensive pottery that anybody can buy and that nobody can afford to be without."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Nov 10, 2004
A journey through a landscape of clay
Kyoto ceramic artist Shin Fujihira creates works imbued with a childlike glee and an overflow of intelligent -- rather than intellectual -- energy that it's impossible not to fall in love with. The man, as a favorite singer of mine says, "has sharpened his sense of wonder" to the point of supreme refinement.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Oct 13, 2004
Mino for the modern world
The traditional Mino pottery styles of Shino, Oribe, Yellow Seto and Black Seto have been the pride of the Japanese ceramic world since the Momoyama Period (1568-1615). However, Mino pottery just isn't what it used to be. Gone are its chadogu (tea wares) days of the 17th-19th century, when it was used to serve local lords and wealthy merchants. Gone, too, are the times it was favored to serve 20th-century lady students of tea.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Aug 11, 2004
National treasures of Bizen-ware pots
The city and pottery style of Bizen hold a special place in my heart; in a sense, Bizen was my "first love" in the ceramic world. When I was first given a Bizen yunomi (tea cup) twenty years ago I had never held something so earthy and "alive" -- a vessel for use in daily life, to enhance drinking pleasure, and "deepen" my inner self. It taught me Japanese aesthetic terms such as wabi-sabi , jimi and shibui, and it led me to learn about Japan's ceramic history and culture. The small yunomi became like a mentor to me.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Aug 9, 2004
Japan's tea pots made by an American potter
The stereotypical image of a chadogu (Way of Tea) potter is of an elderly gentleman with a wispy beard and sharp piercing eyes, clad in a samue (artist's working clothes). You would assume he had come from a family dating back generations and that his lineage was of supreme pride and importance in Japan's tea world. Owning one of his works would be a sign of taste and status in this country's brand-conscious society.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jul 14, 2004
A diamond in the rough
During the 20th century, Japanese studio pottery made by individuals came to the fore. Up until then, many potters worked for large kilns or were artisans involved in a production-line method; one man molded the pots, while another decorated and so on.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jun 9, 2004
In the footsteps of a genius grandfather
The perks and pressures of being the child of someone famous can be enormous -- doubly so if following in the family footsteps. In Japan, with its grand artistic traditions, this is not an uncommon phenomenon. The results, though, range across a broad spectrum, from glory (not always deserved -- think of political dynasties), to competency (often bringing wealth and fame anyway), or derivation (mere imitation that finds a market only thanks to the family's "brand name").

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world