Art Culture in Ceramics

Ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat. They are mostly clay modeled and heated to give a smooth shape. Ceramics has been used as an art material long before. Artist has created a deep relation with arts and ceramics. Ceramics are used to design pots, statues, dishes, cups etc. The use of ceramics started very early and we are still using it. It has got more developed and it is also used as semiconductors. Many items in ancient time were designed on ceramics. The shape of the item has its own art and to add more attractiveness paints were used to design it in different theme.

 Jean Charles Develly  ,

 "Sugar Bowl",1836,

Gallery 554 - Decorative Arts and Sculpture, 1800–1850

The above picture is of a bowl made by ceramics in 1836 by Gilder: Pierre Riton . The bowl is designed to give a shape which is a piece of art. Then it was heated to make it hard. Then paint was applied to its surface and borders. It was creatively designed with paints and given an extraordinary look. It’s a masterpiece.

T.A.C. Colenbrander, 

"Vase Rozenburg Plateelfabriek", 1888,

Gallery 556 - Decorative Arts and Sculpture, 1800–1850

The above picture is of a vase made of ceramics in 1888 by T.A.C. Colenbrander.  The vase has a innovative work of art on the outer surface. The borders are not that much colorful but the combination of 2 colors makes it perfect.

Attributed to Ceramic Art Company  (1889–1896)

"Chocolate Pot",ca. 1890-96

Gallery 774 - Luce Center Visible Storage

The above picture is of another pot made of ceramics in ca. 1890-96. The pot design has the structure of fish and looks more realistic. The paint applied later is a single color which gives it a basic look. The design represents a lake which has fish and background shows some flowers.

The above artworks are under the theme of ceramics. They all have a common factor that they are made up of ceramics. The artwork used on them is of different texture, picture, shapes etc. which gives them an extraordinary look. We have been using ceramic materials for centuries. We are still using it. The designs and artwork on the ceramic items shows the timeline of the art piece. They are beautifully engraved.  The artwork also represents the culture of that exact time.  My collection is to shows some collection of different extraordinary art pieces made of ceramics. 

"Jar"

late 12th–first half 13th century

Gallery 454 - Egypt and Syria (10th–16th centuries)

"Vessel, Mythological Scene"

7th–8th century

Gallery 358 - Mesoamerican Gallery

"Two Gilded Mina'i Ceramics"

late 12th–early 13th century

Gallery 453 - Iran and Central Asia (9th–13th centuries)

Clara Chipman Newton

"Bowl"
ca. 1890–95Gallery 774 - Luce Center Visible Storage

Unknown Author

"Ceramic Egg"
late 17th centuryGallery 300 - Byzantium (South Gallery)

Ceramic Art Company
"Pitcher"
1889-1906Gallery 774 - Luce Center Visible Storage

Unknown Author

"Jar with Poet Zhou Dunyi"1587Gallery 204 - Chinese Ceramics

Unknown Author

"Apothecary jar (orciuolo)"
ca. 1520Gallery 950 - Maiolica

Unknown Author

"Dish (coppa): The story of Aeneas: Queen Dido of Carthage welcomes Aeneas and his son.
possibly workshop of Giovanni Maria Vasaro  (Italian (Castel Durante), active early 16th century)"

ca. 1520

Gallery 950 - Maiolica

John Bennett
"Charger"1877
Gallery 743 - Aesthetic, Arts and Crafts, and Louis C. Tiffany

Unknown Author

"Water Jar"
1880
Gallery 356 - Art of Native North America

Unknown Author

"Dish (piatto)"ca. 1530
Gallery 950 - Maiolica

Chelsea Galleries Reaction

An artwork is not only to be kept in museum, it is also used to beautify surroundings. We use different kinds of art craft to decorate our house. Art crafts could be anything we use to decorate. These decorative makes the surrounds more elegant.  Recently I visited some galleries in Chelsea. I found few of the art work attractive and which are a good investment to invest on. Some of them were not a good art work which can be used to decorate or to invest. 

I found Ernesto Neto’s work interesting. His work with fabric is very artistic handicraft.  His work particularly “The Island Bird” is the one which I liked most. This is I think a good investment. This art work can be installed in a hall room for the kids to have fun with. It is a great art work as well as a fun land for kids and teenagers.  This is like a little suspended theme park inside the house.  I would obviously invest on this art work.

Ernesto Nero

"The Island Bird"

2012 

Richard Avedon's artwork is one I disliked. Those art works are not that kind which can be showcased in rooms or hallways. Those artworks contain nudity which is in fact the main reason that I would not prefer investing on them. I don’t think anyone would display those artworks onto their hall rooms. Those artworks best fit in museums rather than any other place.

RICHARD AVEDON
Andy Warhol and members of The Factory: Joe Dallesandro and Candy Darling, actors, New York, October 30, 1969  

1993

Art:21 History Reaction

Mary Reid Kelley is an artist who worked to produce a films to bring history to her art. She used latest technology to shoot the film. Her film had different scene from history. She was helped bye her family members to cast her film. She did lot of research to bring history in light. She performed and directed that film.

Sculpture Center Reaction

An artwork’s visual representation depends not only on their self representation but also depend on the surroundings. The surrounding environment can change the view of the art. It changes the theme of the artwork. Installation is an important factor in presentation of an artwork in a space. The surroundings should be able to communicate with the artwork. 

Bill Bollinger

"Untitled"

1970

The picture above is of an artwork installed in the Sculpture center. It is a rusted steel barrel full of dirty water mainly used in construction site. This artwork has been installed under the rusted staircase. Half part of the room is dirty and half of the part is clean. Dirty part consists of walls with no paint, bricks can be seen and unhygienic environment which represents a construction site. The clean part has white color painted wall few art frames representing a contemporary art museum. Standing of both side of the water tank we can compare the piece of art in 2 different places. How it would look in a modern museum and in a construction site. I think this piece of art has much better relation with the construction site surrounding. It communicates the same way the surrounding items communicate with it. 

 Bill Bollinger

"Cyclone Fence"

1968

Another art work is “Cyclone Fence” shown above which is a regular fence we see now days. It has been twisted in the middle and kept in the ground exposing its details of the design. This has a good connection with the surrounding as because it is installed in a warehouse theme surrounding not in a modern museum. It seems like the art work has been designed and produced there. This prospective would have change if this piece of art has been installed in a modern museum.

Bill Bollinger

"Rope Piece"

1969

Another art work is a piece of rope which is tightened towards each end which is trying to show that it is holding two surface together. The surrounding is dull showing the weakness of the wall and ceiling. The rope is trying to give a support to the floor. Here the artwork is directly communicating with the surroundings to express its details. A single rope couldn’t have given these expressions if it has been installed in a modern museum.         

So, the installation of an artwork also has an important affect on the artwork itself. Different surroundings can change the meaning of the artwork which the artist was trying to express. The art work should be able to communicate with the surrounding to represent itself completely and deliver its message.        

Design in Our Lives

We use different kinds of product in our daily life to satisfy ourselves in different ways. As products are made to use in our daily life it is designed by the designer considering human in their mind. The product should be designed to be functional with human body. The study of functionality in design is known as Ergonomics. Each product which is designed for human use has to be functional and comfortable for the user.  Some product has high functionality and some has low. A good design is one which is both functional and ergonomic.

Internotredici Associati (Italian, 1970-1983),  

Carlo Bimbi (Italian, born 1944),

Gianni Ferrara (Italian, born 1928) and

Nilo Giocchini (Italian, born 1946)

"Tuttuno" 

Plywood covered with plastic laminate

Year completed : 1971

The above photograph of the product is in my opinion has high functionality. This is a compact living system named "The Tuttuno" which means All-in-one. It contains a pull-out bed, table, drawers, and shelves below an elevated conversation pit. It is a combination of storage, sleeping and eating area with a place for socializing and relaxing. When bed , table , drawers are not in use they can be slide into the unit and out of sight. This product has high functionality as well as it provide a comfortable stay for the user. So I think this is a good design and ergonomic. 

Team Leaders

Amale Andraos and Dan Wood, WORKac

"Nature-City"

 Project site : Keizer, Oregon

 This is a proposed city in Keizer, Oregon. The proposal is a concept of living within the nature. It will have all the facilities of modern living as well as it will incorporate ecological infrastructure, sky gardens, urban farms, and public open space, including large swaths of restored native habitats. So the city is a combination of urban life with nature. This city is a high functional as because it provides all facilities and a community for sustainable living. It is also ergonomic because of its mixture with nature providing a fresh natural environment. 

Yuya Ushida (Japanese, b. 1975)

XXXX_Sofa

Polyamide

Manufactured by  Royal Ahrend

Manufacture year : 2010

XXXX_Sofa is composed of stud connections with three rings and bars of four different length. The structure is repetitive which makes it able to compress and take less space when no needed. In my opinion the sofa is less functional because it just satisfy the space not the comfort. It is much less comfortable then traditional sofa. So it is not be classified as ergonomic.

A&E Design (Swedish, est. 1968), 

Hans Ehrich (Swedish, born 1942) and

Tom Ahlström (Swedish, born 1943)

"Stockholm II Folding Stool and Stockholm II Trolley"

Aluminum, steel, and fiberglass-reinforced plastic fabric

Year: 1993-94

This stool is in my opinion has low functionality. It is compact and can save space. But it is not comfortable to sit on it for a long time. This may cause health problem. So it is not ergonomic.  

All the four above products are well designed and are functional. Two of them I think are good design and other two are well designed but does not meet the requirement to be good design.

Art:21 Power Reaction

Cai-Guo Qiang is a is a Chinese contemporary artist and curator. He uses gun powder explosion to create an art and illustrate his ideas. The power in the explosion sometimes represent The Big Bang. Gun powder is dangerous but he got to know how to use it and produce an art out of it. In another project he used few cars to show flip of a car on a roadway. This shows an illusion of car tumble and flip on air and then land safely on the road. There are many other art work he has done shows the power, some shows the power of destruction.

Illustrate a Story

This story is about the rescue of a police officer after the Twin Tower smashed into the ground on September 11. The officer was stuck on one of the building and he thought it was his end of life. But later he was rescued by the FDNY. In my illustration I am trying to show the rescue of the officer by the fireman from the site.