Ceramic art
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225870921
2008-07-15T20:04:47Z
Petewray
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Adding external ceramics arts organizations
{{two other uses|artwork made out of clay|ceramic ware not intended by the maker as art|pottery|ceramic materials and uses in general|Ceramic}}
[[Image:Etruscan amphora Louvre E703 side B.jpg|200px|right|thumb|[[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]]: Diomedes and Polyxena, from the Etruscan amphora of the Pontic group, ca. 540–530 BC. From Vulci.]]
'''Ceramics''' and '''ceramic art''' in the art world means [[Work of art|artwork]] made out of clay bodies and fired to form a [[ceramic materials|ceramic]]. Some [[ceramic]] pieces are classified as [[fine art]], while many others can be classified as one of the [[decorative art|decorative]], [[industry|industrial]] or [[applied art]]s (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" is not 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 [[ceramic]]s 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." <ref>''The Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary''</ref>
==Ancient history==
[[Image:Egypte louvre 180 pot.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Ancient Egyptian ceramic art: Louvre Museum.]]
Ceramic art has an extensive prehistoric development in the [[China|Chinese]], [[Crete|Cretan]], [[Greece|Greek]], [[Ancient Rome|Roman]], [[Persian Empire|Persian]], [[Maya civilization|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;<ref>[http://www.travel-to-santorini.com/place.php?place_id=40 Archaeological site of Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece]</ref> 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 civilization|Etruscan]] and [[Pottery of ancient Greece|Grecian]] ceramics are renowned for their figurative painting.
====Venus Figurines====
[[Image:Venus of Dolni Vestonice.png|left|thumb|90px|[[Venus of Dolní Věstonice]]]]
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]] ([[Moravia]]n), 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 reflects the figure's state of undress. The Venus figurine was made by molding and then firing a mixture of clay and powdered bone.<ref>Chris Stringer. ''Homo Britannicus'', Alan Lane, 2006, ISBN 9780713997958.</ref> This is the earliest known figurine made of ceramics representing the human form. Scholars do not know if it was intended as fine art, as religious icon, or some other intent; they just do not 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 figurine]]s 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.'' <ref>[http://archaeology.about.com/od/vterms/g/venus.htm Archeaology.about.com - Venus, K. Kris Hirst]</ref>
* ''The world's oldest surviving works of art fashioned after the human image appear in the archaeological strata of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe.''<ref>[http://cmsu2.cmsu.edu/~ldm4683/1.htm Self-Representation in Upper Paleolithic Female Figurines, LeRoy McDermott]</ref>
[[Image:Porcelaine chinoise Guimet 241101.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Chinese [[Longquan celadon]], [[Song Dynasty]], 13th century. [[Celadon]] was first made in China, and then exported to various parts of Asia and Europe. Celadon became a favourite of various kings and monarchs, such as the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] Sultans, because of its pristine beauty, its resemblance to Chinese jade, and the belief that the celadon would change its colour if the food or wine were poisoned.<ref>http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9384284 Britannica Online</ref>]]
===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).<ref>[http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi359.htm No. 359: The Dolni Vestonice Ceramics<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The earliest known pottery vessels may be those made by the Incipient Jōmon people of Japan around 10,500 BCE<ref>{{cite news
| first=Jared
| last=Diamond
| url=http://www.discover.com/issues/jun-98/features/japaneseroots1455/
| title=Japanese Roots
| work=Discover
| publisher=Discover Media LLC
| date=June 1998
| accessdate=2006-03-23
}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news
| first=Simon
| last=Kainer
| url=http://www.archaeology.co.uk/cwa/issues/cwa1/CWA_issue_1.pdf
| title=The Oldest Pottery in the World
| work=Current World Archaeology
| publisher=Robert Selkirk
| pages=44-49
| date=September 2003
| accessdate=2006-03-23
}}</ref>.
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]].<ref>http://arheologija.ff.uni-lj.si/documenta/pdf29/29chi.pdf</ref> [[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).
<!--will add more on Roman and Chinese as time allows...also will work on some photos ~~~~ =-->
[[Image:Chaco Anasazi canteen NPS.jpg|200px|left|thumb|[[Anasazi]], North America: A canteen (pot) excavated from the ruins in [[Chaco Canyon]], New Mexico.]]
===American===
The oldest ceramics known in the [[Americas]] — made from 5,000 to 6,000 years ago — are found in the Andean region, along the Pacific coast of [[Ecuador]] at [[Valdivia Culture|Valdivia]] and Puerto Hormiga, and in the San Jacinto Valley of [[Colombia]]; objects from 3,800 to 4,000 years old have been discovered in [[Peru]]. Some archaeologists believe that ceramics know-how found its way by sea to [[Mesoamerica]], the second great cradle of civilization in the [[Americas]]<ref>The New York Times, Art Review Museum of American Indian's 'Born of Clay' Explores Culture Through Ceramics By GRACE GLUECK, Published: July 1, 2006</ref>.
The best-developed styles found in the central and southern [[Andes]] are the ceramics found near the ceremonial site at [[Chavín culture|Chavín]] de Huántar (800–400 B.C.) and [[Cupisnique]] (1000–400 B.C.). During the same period, another culture developed on the southern coast of Peru, in the area called [[Paracas culture|Paracas]]. The Paracas culture (600–100 B.C.) produced marvelous works of embossed ceramic finished with a thick oil applied after firing. This colorful tradition in ceramics and textiles was followed by the [[Nazca culture]] (A.D. 1–600), whose potters developed improved techniques for preparing clay and for decorating objects, using fine brushes to paint sophisticated motifs. In the early stage of [[Nazca culture|Nazca]] ceramics, potters painted realistic characters and landscapes. The [[Moche]] cultures (A.D. 1–800) that flourished on the northern coast produced extraordinary clay sculptures and effigies decorated with fine lines of red on a beige background. [[Moche]] artists also developed the ceramic technique of modeling. Their pottery stands out for its [[Huaco (pottery)|huacos]] retrato (portrait vases),works on which human faces are shown expressing different emotions—happiness, sadness, anger, melancholy—as well for its complicated drawings of wars, human sacrifices, and celebrations<ref>Born of Clay - Ceramic from the National Museum of the American Indian, 2005 Smithsoniam Institution</ref>.
The [[Maya civilization|Maya]]ns 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]].<ref>C. M.Hogan, ''Comparison of Mayan sites in southern and western Belize'', Lumina Technologies (2006)</ref> Furthermore, the current Mayan people of Lubaantun continue to hand produce copies of many of the original designs found at Lubaantun.
[[Image:Hopi canteen p1070217.jpg|thumb|right|[[Hopi]] pottery, ''Arizona Canteen,'' Ceramic with pigments, 19th century, col: [[Stanford Museum]]]]
The [[Hopi]] in Northern Arizona and several other [[Puebloan peoples]] including the [[Taos Pueblo|Taos]], [[Acoma Pueblo|Acoma]], and [[Zuñi]] people (all in the [[Southwestern United States]]) are renowned for painted pottery in several different styles of ceramic art. [[Nampeyo]] <ref> [http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/exhibits/nampeyo/gallery.shtml A Nampeyo Showcase], a display of some of Nampeyo's work</ref> and her relatives created pottery that became highly sought after beginning in the early 20th century.
==Fine art ceramics==
[[Image:Madonna Moderna.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Madonna Moderna, created ca. 1906 by artist unknown.]]
Fine art ceramics include ceramic art made by hand and designed to be purely art, that is 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.<ref>The fine art pot, called "expressive art" by [http://www.studiopotter.org/reviews/?review=book020 Studio Potter review]</ref>
''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 movement|Arts and Crafts]] style of ''ethical pot'' (simple and utilitiarian [[studio pottery]]) was explored by potter [[Bernard Leach]] and his followers.<ref name="de waal">de Waal, Edmund.</ref><ref>According to the popular post-war book ''A Potter's Book'' by Bernard Leach, an ''[[ethical pot]]'' is a natural looking utilitarian pot, compared to the ''fine art pot'' - source [http://www.aber.ac.uk/museum/collections/collectingceramics.shtml Collecting Ceramics].</ref>
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.<ref name="de waal" /><ref>[http://www.studiopotter.org/reviews/?review=book020 Studio Potter review]</ref>.
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.
[[Image:Azulejo Virgen de Linarejos (Linares).jpg|200px|thumb|left|Ceramic tile tableau celebrating the presence of the Virgin in [[Linares, Spain|Linares]], [[Spain]] in 1227]]
==Industrial art ceramics==
[[Image:Meissen-Porcelain-Korean.Girl.JPG|200px|thumb|Industrial art example: "Korean girl." [[Meissen porcelain]] museum.]]
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:
{|
|valign=top|
* [[Delftware]]
* [[English Delftware]]
* [[Jasperware]]
* [[Meissen porcelain]]
|valign=top|
* [[Royal Doulton]]
* [[Wedgwood]]
|}
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==Environmental issues of production==
[[Image:Glimpse of Paradise.jpg|200px|right|thumb|"A Glimpse of Paradise", ceramic art work by [[Armenians|Armenian]] artist [[Marie Balian]], [[Jerusalem]]]]
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]], [[noise health effects|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. <ref>[http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/museums/museum/2006/gladstone-pottery-museum/information-sheets/health-risks-in-a-victorian-pottery-factory.en Health Risks In A Victorian Pottery]</ref> 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. <ref>[http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/museums/museum/2006/gladstone-pottery-museum/information-sheets/health-risks-in-a-victorian-pottery-factory.en Health Risks In A Victorian Pottery]</ref>. Another, more recent study at [[Laney College]], [[Oakland, California]] suggests that all these factors can be controlled in a well designed workshop environment.<ref>''Indoor air quality evaluation for the Butler Building Ceramics Laboratory, Laney College, Oakland, California'', Earth Metrics Incorporated, Alameda County Schools Insurance Association, December,1989</ref>
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.
==See also==
* [[Pewabic Pottery]]
* [[Pottery]]
* [[Studio pottery]]
Galleries:
* The [[Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery]]
Artists:<!--reduce and set up "list of art potters" elsewhere - if necessary-->
{|
|valign=top|
* [[Robert Archambeau]]
* [[Bennett Bean]]
* [[Charles Catteau]]
* [[Shoji Hamada]]
* [[Jun Kaneko]]
* [[Bernard Leach]]
* [[Hideaki Miyamura]]
* [[Bernard Palissy]]
|valign=top|
* [[Grayson Perry]]
* [[Daniel Rhodes]]
* [[Paul Soldner]]
* [[Peter Voulkos]]
* [[Eva Zeisel]]
|}
== References==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
*de Waal, Edmund. ''[http://www.ruffordceramiccentre.org.uk/ceramic/history/hist2.htm A Ceramic History: Pioneering Definitions 1900–1940 The Studio Pot.]'' File retrieved February 10, 2007.
</div>
== External links ==
* [http://ceramicartsdaily.org/ Ceramic Arts Daily] Information and Inspiration from Inside the Artist's Studio
* [http://ceramicartsdaily.org/potterscouncil/ The Potters Council]
* [http://www.artsmia.org/art%2Dof%2Dasia/ceramics/ Minneapolis Institute of Arts: Ceramics - The Art of Asia]
* [http://www.cantonart.org/index.html Canton Museum of Art/Permanent Collection]
* {{cite web |publisher= [[Victoria and Albert Museum]]
|url= http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/ceramics/ceramics_AZ/index.html
|title= A-Z of Ceramics
|work=Ceramics
|accessdate= 2007-07-23}}
[[Category:Ceramics]]
[[id:Seni keramik]]
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