This exhibition is intended to present an overview of the present state of Japanese traditional pottery. The exhibitors are potters of all ages, although the emphasis is primarily on relatively young artists in their thirties and...
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This exhibition is intended to present an overview of the present state of Japanese traditional pottery. The exhibitors are potters of all ages, although the emphasis is primarily on relatively young artists in their thirties and forties. Although not famous, these are potters at the forefront of their art whose work suggests that they will establish firm reputations over the coming years. The exhibition also includes works by veteran potters and Living National Treasures artists of the first rank in their field whom the government has designated as "masters of traditional craft techniques" I, in addition to works by the late Hamada Shoji, a potter whose achievement met with international recognition. Contemporary Pottery and Tradition Looking at the wide range of Japanese pottery today, one might be tempted to think that traditional pottery is merely one form of expression of ceramic art. The historical development of Japanese pottery has been closely linked with the everyday lives of ordinary Japanese people over the ages. But it was during the early modern period that creative forms of expression based on traditional techniques came into being, forms which contained within them an unresolved contradiction between the demands of function and decoration. With contemporary developments in the field of claywork, we see potters attempting modes of abstract expression on the same plane as the fine arts. But at the same time one should take note of forms such as man, the coloured porcelain which was exported in the past from Japan to Europe, where it attracted many people and stimulated the development of European kilns, and 'tea pottery", in which links are forged between Zen and pottery. As in the case of these styles, the superb tradition of Japanese pottery as manifest in the past is, for today's potters, quite evidently a tradition of great value which must be inherited and developed. Work based on traditional skills enjoys extensive and deep-rooted support. This exhibition does not focus solely on the work of the Living National Treasures who stand at the forefront in the world of traditional pottery, nor solely on the work of potters belonging to the Japan Art Crafts Association whose output has maintained a consistently high level. It also features work by potters belonging to other organizations or not affiliated to any organization at all who are striving to express themselves through the medium of traditional pottery. In consequence, we are able to see work covering a far wider range than is customary at Japanese exhibitions. Although the pieces are all based on traditional techniques, the differences between potters in terms of conceptual approach to their art are such that it is unusual for such a wide variety of pottery to be exhibited at the same exhibition. Pottery Techniques Technical development covering every branch of ceramics has made the work of the individual Japanese potter much easier than it was in the past. In particular, enormous advances have been made in kilns and kiln facilities such as shelves, and these have brought about a dramatic increase in the possibilities which a potter is free to explore. Experimentation with techniques for realising artistic ideas are further greatly facilitated by today's high-performance, easily operable kilns. There is a tendency particularly among potters working in traditional idioms to realise creative ideas in the realm of technique; test-firing is thus indispensable if good results are to be achieved. Tests may involve the nature of the clay to be used, methods of forming, composition of glazes, and the handling of decorative techniques. Potters will increase their technical proficiency by carrying out these tests repeatedly until they have obtained entirely satisfactory results. Many potters possess a rich fund of data which they combine in various ways to give rise to individual forms of expression. We seem here to be a long way from the image of the potter of old for whom the caprice of clay and flame was the main determinant of his work; today's potters
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