Toshiko Takaezu: Ceramics

Artists... This is not just for ceramicists to check out.

Currently there is an art exhibition showing 20 ceramic pieces by ceramic artist Toshiko Takaezu. If there is ever a medium where the artists have to ask themselves whether they do craft or make art, is their work functional or not, it is the field of ceramics. Toshiko Takaezu is an american hero for the art of ceramics everywhere. Her work masterfully blurs the boundaries between these different classifications ceramicists have to face. Takaezu answers the question proud and gloriously.

Takaezu's work follows the traditions of functional vessel pottery, however she often conceptually closes these vessels to render them purely aesthetic. Often, her work is on such a large scale that the finished pieces are at times over 6 feet tall. Given that this woman is over 80 and just slightly over 5 feet tall, the scale of her larger work created partly on the wheel, partly off of it is all the more impressive.

"One of the first artists to explore ceramic's possibilities as an aesthetic medium, Takaezu revolutionized the field with abstract shapes, painterly glazes, and lyrical installations." A true virtuoso in clay!

This retrospective of national treasure: Ceramic Artist Toshiko Takaezu, can be seen at the Art Institute of Chicago until June 8th, 2008.

While you are in town, you can also try to see the Edward Hopper/Winslow Homer show that is on display until May 10th. If you aren't able to make it to Chicago, there is always the internet to find out more!

Check it out, and let me know your comments, reactions, questions in this blog post.