In reading “Geert Lap-Some Notes on
Minimalism in Ceramic Art,” I came to an understanding of what minimalistic art
portrayed. I always had a view of
minimalist art portraying simplicity and erasing the barriers in which the
object is attached to. Instead, minimalism goes much deeper than that. In this
article, surface design is only considered appropriate in minimalism if it
explains the structure or function of the object instead of decoration or
imagery. Minimalism is also attached to the utilitarian function of the object.
Instead of being forced to look around and think about the object, minimalists
instead want the viewers to grasp their idea instantly. This article also
explained the difficulties that minimalistic ceramic artists face like the
battle between looking machine made rather than hand made.
I found this article very
interesting to me because I have a great respect for the idea of minimalism and
how simple but strong their ideas can be. When I read about the difficulties
that minimalists fall in with the battle of not looking machine-made, I started
thinking about Molly Hatch where she didn’t want her style and art to be lost
when it was machine made. It made me think about the arguments amongst artists
about mass production, whether that is art or craft. This argument made me
think of how in art history, minimalism was gradually accepted but still wasn’t
considered as a fine art. During the Arts and Crafts Movement, art was about
function instead about design and is the period of time where many minimalists
are recognized. This makes me wonder what the earliest forms of minimalism were
and how much art was rejected in the past.
I find this really interesting. To me personally, it's really hard to understand minimalism because I feel the need to dress up everything I make with surface design. I see it as a way to elaborate on the forms that I make and enhance the overall experience of the work. But I can see how a minimalist would create a specific work and choose not to use some complex surface design that would mask the subtitles of their piece.
ReplyDeleteI think that most mass produced, machine made ceramic products have a simplistic or minimalistic feel to them (I assume that they do so in order to appeal to as many people as possible to purchase such items), so I really admire Molly Hatch in that she doesn't let her love for elaborate surface design fall to the wayside, yet still is able to make beautiful work that appeals to the masses.
I'm learning about the minimalist movement in my American Art History class right now, and have not yet heard about the idea that they struggle with their pieces trying to keep a hand-made touch to them. We haven't covered anything about ceramic artists yet, but the sculptors we've learned about like Donald Judd and Larry Bell (who I'm sure you're familiar with if you've studied the minimalist movement beyond this article) they don't want traces of human touch but rather a strong feel of industrialization to underline their artworks.Their work IS powerful in the sense that it is often on a very large scale and made out of industrial material. I didn't read Geert Lap's article, but from looking at his ceramic art online and reading his artist statement I got an idea of what he's about. Here's his statement:
ReplyDelete"like to work with clay and I have my craft skills, but it's not about the process and what you experience with that; it's about the result. I have no interest in mystical stuff associated with earth and fire. Neither have I any interest in accidentally obtained results that are the consequence of an uncontrollable process. I already have in mind what I want to make and that's what it has to be and not something else. That applies to both form and color. Sometimes I adjust what I have in mind during the time I'm shaping the piece, but these decisions are always consciously made." - American Ceramics
This is such a different way of looking at the art of ceramics that I can hardly comprehend it! His process is like that of a machine, setting out with a specific task at hand and not letting his emotions get in the way of the final piece.