Sabado, Disyembre 17, 2016

OUR FAVORITE CERAMICS:


JAPANESE CERAMICS:

They used this type of ceramic to store food, water, for drinking, as well as for eating. Pottery has been used for a long time for its durability. Thou, the ceramics are easily broken the pieces can be highly resistant to disintegration. Paint jobs are added to these ceramics before fully baking it to finish product.

YAYOI POTTERY

This pottery has a simple and minimalist style. What lacks in its luster compensate for its functionality. It is used for storage jars, cooking pots, and eating and drinking vessels such as stemmed cups are basic examples of Yayoi earthenware.  These pots are elegant in form, slender appearance, and burnished reds.  Though it has similarity for Chinese pottery yet you can clearly distinguish that Yayoi pottery due to its geometric shape, lacks paint job, some pieces are painted with a red pigment only for ceremonial pieces and some high-footed cups/bowls were for making offerings. These types of pottery is used in Japan as a culture living for today. Despite the passing of each century, ceramics is friendly for our environment today for it is an inorganic and non-metallic material which is suitable for daily purposes.  This certain type of pottery is similar to what southern Korea produce leaving such idea that the creators of this ceramic originated from Korea. Some of the pieces are influenced by the Jomon ceramics


            Yayoi pottery is not difficult to assimilate due to its simple decors and created through a pottery wheel. Everything that this period creates in primitive way thou has an artistic outcome and can cost billions for collectors for pottery because of the way how this was created. This might be common before yet this type of ceramic is not only made by hand but because it is difficult to fine such fine pottery with distinct feature.

            I like the way how Yayoi ceramics appear in its natural and original beauty without too much paint or décor added to it. It may seem boring yet its simplicity brings the peculiarity being observed.  Its beauty is scrutinized because one does not care too much of how it looks but on its purpose to be ersatz. Without any doubt this ceramic is austere in ones design and efficient on its ulterior motive.


JUDILLA, A.


SOURCES:
  • J A P A N E S E  C E R A M I C S: YAYOI WARE (n.d.), Blogger  Web site. Retrieve December 10, 2016, from http://gablluvido.blogspot.com/2016/12/group-5.html 




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GREEK CERAMICS:



Hydria


FACTS:

Hydria/Kalpis  is a water-jar with three handles, two for carrying and one for pouring. The application of the name to the shape is reasonably certain, although such vessels were not only used for the carrying of water. 

The water jar (hydria) was one of the most common vessel shapes in classical Athens. Two horizontal handles on each side were for lifting the vessel when full, and the vertical handle at the back was for pouring or for carrying the hydria while empty. Used predominantly by women, hydriai were often decorated with scenes featuring women. The elegantly painted scene on this vessel of an Athenian woman in her normative role as manager of her household can be interpreted in two ways. The baskets flanking her, commonly used to hold wool, could refer to her duties of spinning and making garments for her family. The image could also be prophetic: about to be married, the woman looks into the mirror, suggesting a view into her future. It is primarily a pot for fetching water, derives its name from the Greek word for water. Hydriai often appear on painted Greek vases in scenes of women carrying water, one of the duties of women in classical antiquity. Of all the Greek vase shapes, the hydria probably received the most artistically significant treatment in terracotta and in bronze.


OPINION:

As interior design students, we are always encouraged by our mentors to expose ourselves to the various types of arts in the world, to absorb as much knowledge as we can, and to be artistically discerning. But art is usually subjective where beauty is in the eyes of the beholder; and I, as a beholder, find the Greek's Hydria a rare beauty.

I personally prefer the Greek’s Hydria due to its distinctively attractive design and form. This ceramic, in particular, has captivated me for the reason that it exudes an elegant yet adorable stance. Though the colors used were minimal, the way the Greeks made the jug a canvas for such beautiful designs completed the ceramic visually. This ceramic art has a clear purpose of containing water and that alone proves its importance in the lives of the people before whilst being sturdy and beautiful.


YU, WINONA


SOURCES:




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




JAPANESE CERAMICS:

     Japan has a rich tradition of designing, forming and firing some truly unique and artistically fulfilling ceramics.   The earliest Japanese ceramics date back to the prehistoric Jomon (“cord marked”) period which extended roughly from 10,500 to 300 BC.  The early Jomon pieces are usually large, cone shaped cooking pots.  They have pointed bodies and the outer surface of the pots are usually stamped or rolled with rope or cord patterns. It is said to be the world's oldest earthenware.


Rope-Patterned Jar
          
 Jomon pottery had multiple uses. Its primary use was for storing food. The Jomon people, who dug pits to store things, including for burying the dead. However, scholars have discovered that pots were also used for storing corpses, such as that of infants.

          These early pieces were formed by the coil method in which successive coils of clay were placed on each other.  This created a thick, slightly irregular and highly built-up appearance.  Firing took place in open pits or ditches and since the heat rarely exceeds 700 degrees, the pots are low-fired ceramics or earthenware that is generally largely water-soluble.
Jomon Cup

          Japanese Ceramics, specifically Jomon Ware is my favorite among the ceramics tackled. The Jomon period is the beginning of Japanese ceramics. I am truly fascinated by its rope-patterned design because it is effortlessly simple yet very beautiful to look at it. These wares are not only for decoration and it had multiple uses especially storing food. It shows the simplicity yet creativeness of the Japanese people. The Jomon ware is truly uniquely and artistically fulfilling.


I am enthralled by how the Jomon ceramics were made by hand, without the use of a potter's wheel. It is by building up from the bottom with coils of soft clay mixed with other materials such as fibers or crushed shells. Then, both the outside and inside of the pottery were smoothed out by tools and then fired in an outdoor bonfire. It is wonderful to think that every piece of the Jomon ware is uniquely made by hand of different kinds of people during the Jomon Period. 


GONZAGA, JASMINE



SOURCES:
  • Pre-historic Japanese Pottery. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2016, from http://emerald.tufts.edu/programs/mma/fah188/ospina/jomon/ 
  • Jomon Period. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2016, from http://www.ancient.eu/Jomon_Period/
  • Japanese Ceramics. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2016, from http://www.asia-art.net/japan_ceramic.html
  • J A P A N E S E  C E R A M I C S: YAYOI WARE (n.d.), Blogger  Web site. Retrieve December 10, 2016, from http://gablluvido.blogspot.com/2016/12/group-5.html



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



CHINESE CERAMICS:

Chinese Porcelain


           Chinese ceramic ware is an art form that has been developing since the neolithic period. There are two primary categories of Chinese ceramics, low-temperature-fired pottery or táo (, about 950-1200℃) and high-temperature-fired porcelain or  (, about 1250-1400 ℃). The history of Chinese ceramics began some eight thousand years ago with the crafting of hand-molded earthenware vessels. Soon after, in the late neolithic period, the potter’s wheel was invented facilitating the production of more uniform vessels. The sophistication of these early Chinese potters is best exemplified by the legion of terracotta warriors found in the tomb of the First Qin Emperor (r. 221-210 BC).

       Over the following centuries innumerable new ceramic technologies and styles were developed. One of the most famous is the three-colored ware of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), named after the most common yellow, green and white glazes which were applied to the earthenware body, although other colors, such as blue, brown, purple, etc., were also used. They were made not only in such traditional forms as bowls and vases, but also in the more exotic guises of camels and Central Asian travelers, testifying to the cultural influence of the Silk Road. Another type of ware to gain the favor of the Tang court was the qingci (青瓷), known in the West as celadon. These have a subtle bluish-green glaze and are characterized by their simple and elegant shapes. They were so popular that production continued at various kiln centers throughout China well into the succeeding dynasties, and were shipped to Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, and as far as Egypt.

       During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the firing of porcelain was widespread. Famous porcelain wares were named after the locations at which they were produced. Various kilns (yao) in different places came to establish their own independent styles of forms and glazes. Porcelain of this period featured plain but elegant glazes as well as simple and archaic forms. Many of the decorative patterns were inspired by daily life and nature.


Chinese Porcelain


       Blue and white (qinghua, 青花) porcelain was first mass produced under the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). Baked at a high temperature, porcelain is characterized by the purity of its kaolin clay body. Potters of the subsequent Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) perfected these blue and white wares so that they soon came to represent the virtuosity of the Chinese potter. Jingdezhen (景德鎮), in Jiangxi Province, became the center of a porcelain industry that not only produced vast quantities of imperial wares, but also exported products as far afield as Turkey. While styles of decorative motif and vessel shape changed with the ascension to the throne of each new Ming emperor, the quality of Ming blue and whites are indisputably superior to that of any other time period.

       During the late Ming to early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), porcelain was enriched with the innovation of five-colored (五彩) wares. Applying a variety of over-glaze pigments to decorative schemes of flower, landscape and figurative scenes, these wares have gained great fame in the West. In the eighteenth century, borrowing from techniques in the decoration of metalware, enamel was painted on porcelain to create vivid colors and stunning patterns, known as painted-enamel or yangcai (洋彩). 

       The quality of Chinese porcelain began to decline from the end of the Qing Dynasty as political instability took its inevitable toll on the arts. However, the production of porcelain is being revived as Chinese culture gains greater recognition both at home and abroad. In addition to modern interpretations, numerous kiln centers have been established to reproduce the more traditional styles.


BALLESTEROS, CHRISMARIE


SOURCES:



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




ENGLISH CERAMICS:

Jasper Ware


Jasper Ware is a type of fine-grained, unglazed stoneware introduced by the English potter Josiah Wedgwood in 1775 as the result of a long series of experiments aimed at discovering the techniques of porcelain manufacture. Its name derives from the fact that it resembles the natural stone jasper in its hardness. It is white in its natural state and is stained with metallic oxide colouring agents. The most common shade is pale blue, but dark blue, lilac, sage green, black, and yellow were also used. The earliest jasper was stained throughout and was known as "solid," whereas the later varieties were coloured only on the surface and were known as “dip.”

Decorations in the Neoclassical style and usually white, were made in separate moulds and applied to the body of the piece. Objects made of jasper were varied and included vases, plaques, tableware, cameos, furniture mounts, and portrait medallions.

The finest examples of the medallions were modelled by the English sculptor John Flaxman and by Wedgwood's principal modeler, William Hackwood. The familiar densely uniform stone ware in solid colours ornamented in a contrasting hue was Josiah Wedgwood's most important contribution to ceramic art.

Because of the popularity of the combination of a solid blue base with white bas-relief ornamentation, the beginning collector identifies that colour combination as Jasper when in fact the pure jasper body is white.

Among the English ceramics, my favourite pottery is the “Jasper Ware”. The simple yet elegant look of this pottery was what captured my interest. At first glance, a person can already tell that it was handcrafted well. I admire its smooth texture, lovely matte finish and its gorgeous color of “Wedgewood blue”. The color chosen for this pottery was a perfect choice. It is soft and not too vibrant. It gives a strong nostalgic feeling of the neoclassical period. I also admire the sharpness and translucency of this piece. I find the white relief decoration laid on top of it unique because it tells and depicts different kinds of stories and scenes. It is different in every pot which would make it unique and interesting. 

The different variation of colors available doesn’t make the piece dull and boring. There is a contrast of detail and simplicity in this pottery. The details being in the relief decoration and the simplicity of a pure color as the background. What i also love about this piece is the form. Its imagination is vast. It has wide forms, elongated forms and does not have a fixed size. With all of the attributes of this pot, it would really bring vibrancy and life to any interior. 



ATIENZA, BETTINA


SOURCES:



Walang komento:

Mag-post ng isang Komento