Italian Pottery - How Ceramic Dinnerware Becomes Art
Sabtu, 26 Januari 2013
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Dragons. Roosters. Biscotti jars. Oh my! Raffaellesco. Ricco. Frutta Mista. Uva Fresca. I'm hook, line and sinker captivated by their expressions, color and Soul. This is not just pottery; it is Italian ceramics, majolica, Deruta pottery, Italian dinnerware, ceramiche - some of the names by which these works of art are called. Welcome to a world where every meal becomes a celebration, served on "canvasses," hand painted by masters or artists who have studied with masters, who spend hours lovingly and skillfully creating their modern-day masterpieces!
This world is like living in Santa Fe, NM, my hometown. You either love the magic or wonder what all the excitement is about. Italian pottery is dinnerware, tableware, serveware and kitchen accessories, but not a mere accumulation of plates and bowls. It's an adventure. It's arte. It's an education. It's pure pleasure! It involves an unfolding of centuries. It honors artist-craftsmen tradition passed from generation to generation. It carries you to name places like Deruta and Orvieto. It teases you to stretch the last syllable of fun-to-say-out-loud words like Alcantara, Limone, and Lunetta. And the colors - the colors dance before your eyes making you so happy they can make you cry!
It takes some getting acquainted to understand this world of Italian pottery. Let's take Raffaellesco as our example today. One of the best recognized, most enduring of the Italian ceramic patterns, Raffaellesco is a "design," inspired by frescos of its namesake, Raphael (Italian Renaissance artist, 1483-1520). A stylized, mythic dragon is most often central to this famous pattern, and sometimes two or three! Beyond its whimsical appearance presented in delicious tones of rich yellow, touches of red, blues and greens, why would you want a collection of dragons? Well, they are symbols of good fortune. Those curlicues issuing from their puffed cheeks symbolize fair winds. The dragons, as the old-world stories go, were purveyors of mythical relief from the doldrums for seagoing merchants. (I think the dragons still breathe energy into the fires of today's Italian kilns, inspiring both their own continued production and new offspring.)
But I digress. There are so many patterns presented as Raffaellesco, at first it seems a complicated labyrinth. While the patterns bear resemblances, the designs differ noticeably, as do their forms and sizes. But why? Turns out, the explanation is very simple and demonstrates the importance of this cherished motif to Deruta culture. The abundance of variations on the Raffaellesco pattern results from many separate studios and firms in the town of Deruta (Perugia, Umbria) producing Raffaellesco.
A music analogy comes to mind. Think of your favorite song, the number of artists who sing it and the "stages" from which they perform - small night clubs, Central Park concerts, recording studios, etc. Each artist lends the song a very personal interpretation, one more masterfully than another. Depending on the performer's reputation, popularity and your level of "rapture," you might pay high dollars to see him or her in person and take home a signed copy of their CD to add to your music collection. But regardless of who sings it, you recognize the song.
So it is with the Raffaellesco "collection" and other ceramic collections "Made in Italy." Artistic renditions make a difference. The production process and techniques, attention to detail, devotion to tradition, legacy -- all affect the resultant, authentic product and its value. The outcome is handmade, hand painted works of arte, the "canvasses" upon which you may present your pasta, grilled vegetables, pot roast or hamburgers and with which you may linger while you sip your espresso or tea. And, if after dinner you return those Italian pieces to a prominent perch in a glass-fronted cabinet or on a wall, that's perfect. After all, it is functional arte, made to give you elation and visceral pleasure however you choose to live with it.
This world is like living in Santa Fe, NM, my hometown. You either love the magic or wonder what all the excitement is about. Italian pottery is dinnerware, tableware, serveware and kitchen accessories, but not a mere accumulation of plates and bowls. It's an adventure. It's arte. It's an education. It's pure pleasure! It involves an unfolding of centuries. It honors artist-craftsmen tradition passed from generation to generation. It carries you to name places like Deruta and Orvieto. It teases you to stretch the last syllable of fun-to-say-out-loud words like Alcantara, Limone, and Lunetta. And the colors - the colors dance before your eyes making you so happy they can make you cry!
It takes some getting acquainted to understand this world of Italian pottery. Let's take Raffaellesco as our example today. One of the best recognized, most enduring of the Italian ceramic patterns, Raffaellesco is a "design," inspired by frescos of its namesake, Raphael (Italian Renaissance artist, 1483-1520). A stylized, mythic dragon is most often central to this famous pattern, and sometimes two or three! Beyond its whimsical appearance presented in delicious tones of rich yellow, touches of red, blues and greens, why would you want a collection of dragons? Well, they are symbols of good fortune. Those curlicues issuing from their puffed cheeks symbolize fair winds. The dragons, as the old-world stories go, were purveyors of mythical relief from the doldrums for seagoing merchants. (I think the dragons still breathe energy into the fires of today's Italian kilns, inspiring both their own continued production and new offspring.)
But I digress. There are so many patterns presented as Raffaellesco, at first it seems a complicated labyrinth. While the patterns bear resemblances, the designs differ noticeably, as do their forms and sizes. But why? Turns out, the explanation is very simple and demonstrates the importance of this cherished motif to Deruta culture. The abundance of variations on the Raffaellesco pattern results from many separate studios and firms in the town of Deruta (Perugia, Umbria) producing Raffaellesco.
A music analogy comes to mind. Think of your favorite song, the number of artists who sing it and the "stages" from which they perform - small night clubs, Central Park concerts, recording studios, etc. Each artist lends the song a very personal interpretation, one more masterfully than another. Depending on the performer's reputation, popularity and your level of "rapture," you might pay high dollars to see him or her in person and take home a signed copy of their CD to add to your music collection. But regardless of who sings it, you recognize the song.
So it is with the Raffaellesco "collection" and other ceramic collections "Made in Italy." Artistic renditions make a difference. The production process and techniques, attention to detail, devotion to tradition, legacy -- all affect the resultant, authentic product and its value. The outcome is handmade, hand painted works of arte, the "canvasses" upon which you may present your pasta, grilled vegetables, pot roast or hamburgers and with which you may linger while you sip your espresso or tea. And, if after dinner you return those Italian pieces to a prominent perch in a glass-fronted cabinet or on a wall, that's perfect. After all, it is functional arte, made to give you elation and visceral pleasure however you choose to live with it.
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Judul: Italian Pottery - How Ceramic Dinnerware Becomes Art
Ditulis oleh Unknown
Rating Blog 5 dari 5
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Rating Blog 5 dari 5
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