Everything about Ceramic Art totally explained
Ceramics and
ceramic art in the art world means
artwork made out of clay bodies and fired to form a
ceramic. Some
ceramic pieces are classified as
fine art, while many others can be classified as one of the
decorative,
industrial or
applied arts (the application of design and
aesthetics to objects of function and everyday use). The identification of a specific
pottery piece as a "work of art" isn't always clear. Ceramic art usually, but not always, was
intended by the maker as art. It may have a signature, designer name or
brand name stamp on the bottom. Ceramic art can be either manufactured by individuals or in a
factory that employs artists to design, produce or decorate the ware.
Historically,
ceramic articles were prepared by shaping the
clay body, a
clay rich mixture of various
minerals, into the desired shapes before being subjected to high temperatures in a
kiln. However
ceramics now refers to a very diverse group of materials which, while all are fired to high temperature, may not have been shaped from material containing any
clay. The origin of the word is the ancient Greek
keramikos, from
Keramos, meaning "potter's clay."
Ancient history
Ceramic art has an extensive prehistoric development in the
Chinese,
Cretan,
Greek,
Roman,
Persian,
Mayan, and numerous other cultures.
European
Mediterranean
On the Greek
island of
Santorini are some of the earliest finds dating to the third millennium BC, with the original settlement at
Akrotiri dating to the fourth millennium BC; excavation work continues at the principal
archaeological site of Akrotiri. Some of the excavated homes contain huge ceramic storage jars known as
pithoi.
Ancient
Etruscan and
Grecian ceramics are renowned for their figurative painting.
Venus Figurines
A number of
Gravettian figurines found in the Czech Republic are believed to represent the earliest known works of ceramic artwork made of the human form. One such figurine is the
Venus of Dolní Věstonice (
Moravian), which was made between 27,000 and 31,000 years ago. The designation of this, and other similar figurines, as "venus" has no relation to the classical goddess of love, but relects the figure's state of undress. The Venus figurine was made by molding and then firing a mixture of clay and powdered bone. This is the earliest known figurine made of ceramics representing the human form. Scholars don't know if it was intended as fine art, as religious icon, or some other intent; they just don't know the original meaning to the original culture. Similar figurines found throughout Eurasia are called
Venus figurines and are noted for their natural looking representations of the female form with some artistic merit. Here are examples of what has been written about them:
- Venus figurines are the name given to a nearly universal type of art, appearing first in the Upper Paleolithic period between 30,000 and 15,000 years ago.
- The world's oldest surviving works of art fashioned after the human image appear in the archaeological strata of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe.
Asian
The earliest known ceramic objects are
Gravettian figurines such as those discovered at Dolni Vestonice in the modern-day
Czech Republic. The
Venus of Dolní Věstonice (Věstonická Venuše in Czech) is a Venus figurine, a statuette of a nude female figure dated to 29,000–25,000 BCE (Gravettian industry). The earliest known pottery vessels may be those made by the Incipient Jōmon people of Japan around 10,500 BCE .
The term "
Jōmon" means "cord-marked" in Japanese. This refers to the markings made on clay vessels and figures using sticks with cords wrapped around them. Pottery which dates back to 10,000 BCE have also been excavated in
China.
Chinese porcelain comes from the late
Eastern Han period (100 to 200 AD), the
Three Kingdoms period (220 to 280 AD), the
Six Dynasties period (220 to 589 AD), and the
Tang Dynasty (618 to 906 AD).
American
The
Mayans were a relative latecomer to ceramic development, as their ceramic arts flourished in the
Maya Classic Period, or the second to tenth century AD. One important site in southern
Belize is known as
Lubaantun, that boasts particularly detailed and prolific works. As evidence of the extent to which these ceramic art works were prized, many specimens traced to Lubaantun have been found at distant Mayan sites in
Honduras and
Guatemala. Furthermore, the current Mayan people of Lubaantun continue to hand produce copies of many of the original designs found at Lubaantun.
The
Hopi in Northern Arizona and several other
Puebloan peoples including the
Taos,
Acoma, and
Zuñi people (all in the
Southwestern United States) are renowned for painted pottery in several different styles of ceramic art.
Nampeyo and her relatives created pottery that became highly sought after beginning in the early
20th century.
Fine art ceramics
Fine art ceramics include ceramic art made by hand and designed to be purely art, that's to be looked at and enjoyed visually and contemplatively, without any further uses. It is often
one of a kind.
In modern art theory, the
fine art pot or
expressive pot has been used as a name of pottery that aspires to the conditions of
fine art, generally by prioritizing conceptual and aesthetic qualities over functionality or usefulness.
Fine art pot has been used as a term opposite of the phrase
ethical pot (meaning utilitarian pottery) - at least by ceramic art theorists defining art styles and their merits since the 1940s.
Fine art pot styles were led and taught by
William Staite Murray and other post-war potters such as
Lucie Rie and
Hans Coper. The alternative
Arts and Crafts style of
ethical pot (simple and utilitiarian
studio pottery) was explored by potter
Bernard Leach and his followers.
The modern art movement in pottery is experimental in nature. Many styles originated from the
Arts and Crafts movement when studio potters were looking to find a place and definition for the
crafts in the age of
industrialisation and mechanised-production, and from the desire to re-establish ceramics as a
fine art medium.
Modern ceramic artists and potters often engage in what has become know as the "Art versus Craft debate", in which the merits of each pottery approach are perpetually reiterated without resolution.
Industrial art ceramics
Industrial art ceramics includes ceramics made in factories that employ artists to design or handpaint the ceramics, or industrial-minded art collectives, and is often known by the name of the founder or the brand name of the product line. In general, industrial ceramics are not
one of a kind, and are intended to be duplicated and sold on the market, using methods of limited or mass production. Some factories are known for their fine materials, intricate designs, elaborate painting and glazing by
artisans. Many are of the objects produced are decorative by design, while others adhere to the idea of
form follows function and purposefully designed to be
utilitarian, however still considered a "work of art." Industrial ceramic art can be identifed by brand name or distinctive styles. Examples include:
Environmental issues of production
Although many of the environmental effects of the workplace of ceramic art have existed for millennia, some of these have been amplified with modern technology and scales of production. The principal factors for consideration fall into two categories: (a] effects on workers and (b) effects on the general environment. Within the effects on workers, chief impacts are indoor
air quality,
sound levels and possible
over-illumination. Regarding the general environment, factors of interest are off-site
water pollution,
air pollution and disposal of
hazardous materials.
Historically plumbism,
lead poisoning, was a significant health concern to those glazing pottery. This was recognised at least as early as the nineteenth century, and the first legislation in the
United Kingdom to limit pottery workers’ exposure was introduced in 1899. Whilst the risk of to those working in ceramics is now much reduced it can still not be ignored. With respect to
indoor air quality, workers can be exposed to fine
particulate matter,
carbon monoxide and certain
heavy metals. The greatest health risk is the potential to develop
silicosis from the long-term exposure to crystalline
silica. Proper ventilation can reduce the risks, and the first legislation in the
United Kingdom to govern ventilation was introduced in 1899. . Another, more recent study at
Laney College,
Oakland, California suggests that all these factors can be controlled in a well designed workshop environment.
The use of energy and pollutants in the production of ceramics is a growing concern. Electric firing is arguably more environmentally friendly than combustion firing, although the source of the electricity varies in environmental impact.
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