Contemporary Clay [Paperback]

Joe Earle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2005

Featuring over 50 examples made by more than 35 artists during the last two decades, Contemporary Clay offers an overview of everything that is most innovative, creative, and iconoclastic in the world of modern-day Japanese ceramics. The works range from painstakingly crafted porcelains inspired by Chinese prototypes to rough-hewn vessels that revel in the happy accidents of wood-fired kilns to ironic objects that mimic newspapers, discarded trash, and body parts. The selection is mostly drawn from the extensive collection of Halsey and Alice North of New York and reflects their informed taste; their bias is toward works made under the influence of the avant-garde SAdeisha group, which challenged the traditional supremacy of utilitarian forms while maintaining its respect for technical excellence. Also widely covered are artists reacting in very different ways to the opportunities and challenges of their craft heritage, some breaking away toward pure sculpture, others reinventing the vessel ideal with an intriguing range of new forms and glaze effects. The book's commentaries on the artists discuss their backgrounds, the processes they employ, and their places within the complex world of postwar Japanese ceramic history. In work that is playful, evocative, and avant-garde, the selected artists push the boundaries of our conception of ceramics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: MFA Publications (November 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878466967
• ISBN-13: 978-0878466962
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #256,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Ceramics

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding presentation recommended for art library collections., January 6, 2007

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Contemporary Clay (Paperback)

Over fifty works by modern clay artists are profiled in CONTEMPORARY CLAY: JAPANESE CERAMICS FOR THE NEW CENTURY, a catalog which follows the most innovative of Japanese ceramists. Puts range from porcelains with Chinese inspirations from the past to contemporary modern designs and provide a survey of different uses of modern forms, along with artist reactions to the new clay works. Each artist receives a full page photo and a facing page describing training and the evolution of repertoire and direction, making CONTEMPORARY CLAY an outstanding presentation recommended for art library collections.

Diane C. Donovan

California Bookwatch