I had no idea that ceramics weren’t truly seen as an aesthetic art form until the turn of the 20th century; schools didn’t even have ceramics programs available until then. All these changes came about due to ceramicists deciding that their work no longer needed to be functional. This brought about the studio potter, as demonstrated through artists showcased in the new ceramics rotation on view in Gallery L7 of the Bloch Building.
Ceramics are typically very pleasing to the eye with bright colors and shiny glazes. The ceramics I saw today were just as visually engaging – but in very different ways. The first piece I came too was absolutely brilliant. Rudy Autio’s, Armington Stampede from 1987 was great. I loved the bright colors and the horses and women entwined around the work. The most interesting aspect of this piece is how the artist rendered such great movement out of clay. I kept walking from side to side of the piece too see all the angles and catch all the colors, figures and texture. Autio grew up in Montana, and his subject matter and form easily reflect that. This piece is very mountainous in form reflecting the topography of his home state.
I mentioned that the new rotation is interesting in different ways. The beautiful colors and some glazes are still present, but some of the artists chose to leave their works with a matte finish adding a different kind of texture and a slightly muted color palette. There is also a great sense of humor, as in the object pictured above (Lighthouse at Bolinas by Richard Shaw), and a definite sense of the artist’s hand. The works are varying, intriguing and definitely worth a look.