Technology - Economica and Art.

[Wes Rolley]

There is currently an exhibit of the photography of John Szarkowski at
the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. While Szarkowski does not have
the reputation as a photographer of an Edward Weston, Ansel Adams,
Walker Evans or Domon Ken, he was for many years the Director of
Photography at the Museum of Modern Art (NY).

Before going to see what Szarkowski did himself, I borrowed "Photography
Until Now" from my local library. Now was 1989 when this exhibition was
first put together. This was a broad spectrum exhibit of the earliest
calotypes and daguerrotypes to the very contemporary works of Cindy
Sherman and Moriyama.

Szarkowski's catalog provided a unique discussion the focused on the
interactions of technology, intersection and art. For example, the
development of a technological solution to the problems of printing
photographs in ink as opposed to printing on specially sensitized papers
radically changed the economics of what a photographer could do. One of
the effects is that it removed photographers from some of the creative
roles and relegated them to being only the provided in parts. Some
photographers then stopped producing commercial (for advertising,
fashion, etc.) work and accentuated the uniqueness of what they were
trying to do. Of course, since this was published in 1989, it does not
take into effect the role of inexpensive video camcorders, throw away or
digital cameras.

Photography is a relatively new phenomenon, at least compared to
sculpture, painting and clay. The earliest works are from the 1830's.
It had no place in the University curriculum until the 1960's. Even the
museums did not start giving photography any real consideration until
after WW II. Thus the time scale is compressed and transitions are
relatively easy to document.

Ceramics is equally dependent on technology. However, the changes have
not provided consistent, continuing practice, arising in one place,
disappearing within a generation as tastes change, only to be reinvented
somewhere else or rediscovered through study. I have not seen anyone
give ceramics the same type of historical treatment that Szarkowski has
given photography. It it exists, I would love to find it.
--
"I find I have a great lot to learn – or unlearn. I seem to know far too
much and this knowledge obscures the really significant facts, but I am
getting on." -- Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Wesley C. Rolley
17211 Quail Court
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
(408)778-3024
http://www.refpub.com/

[Lee Love]

Wes Rolley wrote:

> Ceramics is equally dependent on technology. However, the changes
> have not provided consistent, continuing practice, arising in one
> place, disappearing within a generation as tastes change, only to be
> reinvented somewhere else or rediscovered through study. I have not
> seen anyone give ceramics the same type of historical treatment that
> Szarkowski has given photography. It it exists, I would love to find it.

Wes, I think one of the differences is the fact that photography,
unlike pottery, appeared at a time of abundance. Abundance allows
things to vary according to the whims of "taste."

Hamada spoke about the difference between "feeling" and
"taste." The way he used "feeling", it goes to the creative core of
the work. "Tastes" are just decoration and come and go.

One of the things that struck both Tatsuo and I when we
viewed the Jomon and Yayoi show at the National Museum is the distinct
and abrupt change between the two works. Jomon was make by the
ancestors of the Ainu who first arrived to the archipelago during the
ice age. It has strong roots with nature and intuition. It was
probably made by women. But Yayoi came later with the Yamato people,
probably from Korean. The Yamato horse riding clans brought the wheel
with them. Yayoi work "feels" more "contained", from the intellect.
The forms are more geometric and not as natural as the Jomon work. It
was probably made by men.


--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://potters.blogspot.com/ WEB LOG
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/ Photos!

[Richard Mahaffey]

Wes,
Photography has it's roots in the Camera Obsucra, whose principles were
known to a Chinese Scholar (I can't remember his name and that data is
in the computer at school) who expiramented with the principles within
a few hundred years of the birth of Christ. It was not until 1839 the
Dagauerre (SP?) came up with his process to create light sensitive
silver plates to fix an image that Degauerreomania was unleashed.

In my Art Appreciation class one of the points that I am continually
making is that Artist are early adopters of or inventors of new
technology.

Lee,
I find it surprising that you came to the conclusion that the geometric
work of Yayoi were made by men. I find some similarities of form with
Native American work, which as far as we can tell was always made by
women until money could be made and the men started to step in to the
picture. What leads you to the conclusion that men made the Yayoi
work?

Rick

[Lee Love]

Richard Mahaffey wrote:

> I find it surprising that you came to the conclusion that the
> geometric work of Yayoi were made by men. I find some similarities of
> form with Native American work, which as far as we can tell was always
> made by women until money could be made and the men started to step in
> to the picture. What leads you to the conclusion that men made the
> Yayoi work?

Hi Rick,

Jomon was handbuilt and Yayoi was made on the wheel. I am not
sure why it is, but I am not aware of any pre-modern societies where
women worked on the wheel. The Yayoi wheels were hand wheels, so I
suppose upper body strength is a factor, but I don't know exactly.

Also, Jomon was a hunter/gather society. Most of the work
is either domestic ware or ritual ware related to fertility and
birthing, either Venus figurines or jars depicting childbirth. It was
a nature/moon/feminine oriented society. Then Yayoi culture came
along. Most of their ware we have evidence was funeral ritual ware.
All of the nomadic peoples were "sun god" oriented and patriarchal,
weather they be the Aryans (India), the Yamato (and other horse riding
clans out of Lake Baikal that entered Korean and Japan) or the Semites
who came into the middle east. Joesph Campbell speaks about these
nomadic and herding folks bringing the sun god (and patriarchy) south.

I'll dig up references later.

Gotta turn in. Up early to go to Tokyo tomorrow.

[Richard Mahaffey]

Lee,
Interesting. Here is food for thought.

Maria Martinez used a Poki which was a disk or Shallow bowl made from a
shard or specially made for making pottery, Barely a wheel but served
the same function.

In Turkey, the women of the village of Sorkun use a hand wheel ( a kind
of banding wheel) to make pots up to platters that are at least 80 cm
in diameter.

While these are not wheels in the sense of a Japanese style handwheel
(like Fujiwara Kei used) but they are wheels in function. While the
preceding has no bearing on the gender of the potters in the Yayoi
period of Japan.

Best,
Rick

[Wes Rolley]

Lee Love wrote:

> Wes, I think one of the differences is the fact that photography,
> unlike pottery, appeared at a time of abundance. Abundance allows
> things to vary according to the whims of "taste."
> Hamada spoke about the difference between "feeling" and
> "taste." The way he used "feeling", it goes to the creative core of
> the work. "Tastes" are just decoration and come and go.

While there may be abundance by 19th century, taste had very little to
do with the choices that were made. At various times there were other
factors, such as a government project in the France of Napoleon III to
photograph all of the important public buildings, etc. But they all
came down to economics. How could a photographer make money doing this?
In fact, the fate of most photographers was to go bankrupt. Think of
Carlton Watkins hauling his wet glass process and cameras by mule all
over Yosemite in the 1860's. Watkins died broke in San Francisco. But,
his works even now are the subject of major exhibits at the SF Museum of
Modern Art.

As for taste, I would agree with Hamada in the manner that he used the
term, but I would also agree with Clement Greenberg as to his use of the
term taste, which was close to being the viewers ability to receive what
Hamda called feeling. Greenberg's concept of taste was close to the
philosophical concept for asethetic judgement derived from Kant.

I still wonder if anyone has written on the intersection of technology
economics and art in ceramics, even to cosider it in a time of
abundance, such as the last 50 years, the same period roughly that
photography has been around.

Remember, there are many for whom the term "Japanese Ceramics" means
Noritake.

[Richard Mahaffey]

Many of the most coveted designs in Noritake ware were designed in New
York city.......the late Howard Kottler had a huge collection and I
heard is lecture on Noritake ware once.
I wonder what Kanji are used in the name Noritake,(Lee any idea) I can
think of translating it to Seaweed Bamboo for one.
Rick

[Kate Johnson]

> Maria Martinez used a Poki which was a disk or Shallow bowl made from a
> shard or specially made for making pottery, Barely a wheel but served the
> same function.
>
> In Turkey, the women of the village of Sorkun use a hand wheel ( a kind of
> banding wheel) to make pots up to platters that are at least 80 cm in
> diameter.

Any idea how far back this concept goes? I hand-build, but often use a
banding wheel in some portions of my work--very very handy. I demonstrate
at historic sites from time to time and try to keep my techniques fitting to
the period, so don't take my aluminum banding wheel, but something similar,
if it was appropriate, would be marvelous!

Best--
Kate

[Mike Martino]

Hi Rick,
I was curious so I did a Japanese web search and found that the product line of Noritake seems to be always written in katakana (ノリタケ), but that the name itself came from the location of the original factory where it was produced, near Nagoya. The company itself was called 日本陶器合名会社 (Nihon touki gomeigaisha?)and that factory was located in the outskirts of Nagoya, a place called 鷹場村大字則武(Takabamura Ooaza Noritake). The last 2 kanji are 'Noritake', The first three are the village name, and I probably have the name wrong, since you speak Japanese you know how the kanji readings for country villages are often extremely creative. The first character 'nori' means something like rule or law. The second is 'take' or 'bu' , meaning military, same 'bu' as for 'bu'shido.

Cheers,

Mike

PS: This message should be encoded in unicode, if you're having problems getting it to display properly.

[Richard Mahaffey]

Mike,
Thanks, and I do know how names of places and people can be very
creative. As for speaking Japanese I speak a little and can get by,
some days in class I feel like I can not remember anything at all.
Perhaps a beer would help on those days as it seemed to help in Japan.

Rick

[Lee Love]

Wes Rolley wrote:

>
> While there may be abundance by 19th century, taste had very little to
> do with the choices that were made.

I think the traditional potters always used the best
technology available. As time when by, they did the best they could
to protect the clay and glazes from the ashes and flame. They worked
this way for economic reasons, because there were fewer losses when the
pots were protected.

Following this line, Noritake seems the logical outcome, t a
progression toward a "more perfect" ware.

The teamasters and the Shoguns of the17th century
were a "blip" in this technological advancement. The teamasters liked
anachronistic effects that the potters avoided when possible.
This is where what the zen masters might call "the stink" of
intellectualism crept in. When the accidents are purposely aimed
at, they most often feel contrived.

> At various times there were other factors, such as a government
> project in the France of Napoleon III to photograph all of the
> important public buildings, etc. But they all came down to economics.

On the way home from Tokyo on the train, I read an article in
Daruma magazine about Korai tea bowls. Many of them were ordered by
the teamasters for the Shogun, to be made at Korean potteries in
Korea. All the photos of these teabowls that were made to order, as
well as the ones "made to order" in Japan, really never compared to the
original Korean "found" ricebowls.

> As for taste, I would agree with Hamada in the manner that he used the
> term, but I would also agree with Clement Greenberg as to his use of
> the term taste, which was close to being the viewers ability to
> receive what Hamda called feeling. Greenberg's concept of taste was
> close to the philosophical concept for asethetic judgement derived
> from Kant.

Maybe an intellectual approach to aesthetics are often be linked
to taste. because taste is made according to an arbitrary choice and not
based upon any kind of universal standard? Tastes go from the
subject to the object while the feeling Hamada speaks about goes from
the object to the subject?

> I still wonder if anyone has written on the intersection of technology
> economics and art in ceramics, even to cosider it in a time of
> abundance, such as the last 50 years, the same period roughly that
> photography has been around.

I have seen articles about how the kilns survived
when they stopped making storage containers, etc. No doubt,, there
must be surveys like what you are talking about, written in Japanese.
Wish I could read them. ;-)

>
> Remember, there are many for whom the term "Japanese Ceramics" means
> Noritake.

Yeah. That is certainly what my late Japanese mother
thought.

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