Ceramic Art
Known as an important plastic art, the term "ceramics", derived from Greek term for "potter's clay", refers to objects made of clay bodies and fired in a kiln to earn the finished look. Other than art, from technological advances, ceramics now encompasses a larger group of materials like glass and cements, so clay is no longer a key component.
In visual art, there is no true difference between ceramics and pottery. Both are meant to convey a 4-step process that can be imitated easily. The first step is forming or shaping, then firing a kiln, glazing and decorating, and finally refiring the kiln to harden the glaze and decorations.
Some historians and other experts say that the earliest fine art ceramic sculpture is the cache of figurines discovered at Dolni Vestonice in the Czech Republic. It is clearly exemplified in the "Venus of Dolni Vestonice", a statuette of a nude female figure dating back to 25,000 BCE. In comparison, the earliest ancient pottery, seemingly in China, are believed to date back to 30,000 BCE. No date has been established or confirmed for these alleged studies. In the present, the earliest carbon-dated Chinese pottery is the Xianrendong Cave Pottery in the Jiangxi Province back in 18,000 BCE. The pottery soon spread to the Yuchanyan Cave Pottery in Hunan province, as well as the Vela Spila Pottery in Croatia. Meanwhile in Japan, ceramics began in the Jomon Pottery from 14,500 BCE.
Remnant of Vela Spila Cave Pottery
Remnants of Yuchanyan and Xianrendong Cave Pottery
Venus of Dolni Vestonice
In the western side of the world, pottery is increasingly associated with Neolithic art and highly achieved in Classical Greek art for vases in specific. Many artistic critics find that they consider Greek pottery to represent the zenith of ceramic art. Other sophisticated forms often appeared in Islamic art by the Middle Easterners who invented tin-glaze in the 9th century. In the east, outstanding fine art ceramics were achieved in composition, glazing, and decoration.
As these works continue to be displayed in museums, let us not forget the ingenuity behind such an idea. Who would have ever thought that taking an earthly material and baking it in a type of oven could accentuate such art and beauty. As these breathtaking pieces from our artistic history are praised, we must continue to be inspired by the works and the ideology behind them as well.
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