The Abstract Expressionist artists preferred to be called the New York School artists. Motherwell, the youngest of the New York School artists received a bachelor?s degree in philosophy before deciding to become a painter. He was also the most affluent and educated of this group. The bohemian lifestyle of the others hardly resembled the wealthy trappings Motherwell was accustomed to. These differences in wealth and education didn?t seem to matter. Meyer Schapiro, his art history instructor introduced the European Surrealists to him and he became fast friends with most of them as well. Motherwell?s fascination with their use of automatism (the suspension of consciousness which allows one the freedom to uncover the ideas and images in the subconscious) led him to his experimentations with it. Surrealists employed conventional means when describing their findings but Motherwell believed automatism should be taken a step further than that. He felt that in the process of searching the unconscious and making discoveries about yourself, you must also retain the excitement of those moments as they become known.
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Alegria
In postwar ceramics, Voulkos transformed his wheel-thrown and altered pots into massive sculptural pieces of art. He succeeded in liberating his works from the confines of the vessel. His laid back style and unconventional methods appealed to his students at Otis Art Institute (known as the Los Angeles County Art Institute at that time) who flourished under the influence of their exciting young instructor. Voulkos and his students drastically changed traditional approaches to clay and this led to an inevitable clash with the administration who elected to fire Voulkos. His students at Otis had fond memories of him such as playing a modified version of a Zen game. They played a version that consisted of a two minute challenge to see who could make the ugliest teapot in that brief amount of time. After his firing the University of California at Berkeley hired him and he remained there for thirty years. Voulkos?s innovations with clay were unprecedented and literally shocked the ceramic world into its own elevated status. The spirit of Abstract Expressionism was infused in the massive sculptural pieces he was constructing. Like the Abstract Expressionist painters who made large spontaneous gestural marks across their canvases, he slashed, gouged, and slit the surfaces of his works. He was well acquainted with the Abstract Expressionist artists (or as they preferred to call themselves, the New York School artists) whom he spent time with during his summers when he taught at Columbia University in New York. He gathered with the likes of DeKooning and Pollock at the infamous Cedar Tavern where they held lively discussions about art. Alegria is one of Voulkos?s extraordinary ?Stacks.? The astonishing fluidity of this work belies the level of skill it requires to create a massive vessel such as this. The shards of clay pieced together look as if they could topple at a moment?s notice. The violent gouges, pluggings and slashes serve to unify the work and exhibit his roots in Abstract Expressionism. His awards are too numerous to list but include the Rodin Museum Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Ceramic Lifetime Achievement of the Year Award in 1997.
from the Thinking Matters series (Exquisite Nomad)
Figure 05-07-05
Window
Ikeda received his B.S. degree from Portland State University in 1970. His degree was in painting and drawing, but in his senior year he realized working with clay was what he really wanted to do. Recognizing Ikeda?s keen desire to work with clay, one of his professors urged him to apply for a scholarship to study ceramics in Japan. The Japanese government awarded him the Ministry of Education Scholarship and after three years of study at Kyota City University of Fine Arts, he received his Research Art Certificate. A few years later he earned his M.F.A. degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Shortly after receiving his M.F.A., Ikeda accepted an offer to teach at Ventura Community College in California. After only one year at the community college, he accepted a teaching position at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Ikeda has received several faculty grants, and is now the head of the ceramics department at Kansas State University. Ikeda employs an unusual off-center throwing technique that requires perfect timing and coordination. He also builds some of his works by hand. Landscapes and the organic aspects of nature serve as his inspiration.
Night Sky
Untitled
Awaken
Ikeda received his B.S. degree from Portland State University in 1970. His degree was in painting and drawing, but in his senior year he realized working with clay was what he really wanted to do. Recognizing Ikeda?s keen desire to work with clay, one of his professors urged him to apply for a scholarship to study ceramics in Japan. The Japanese government awarded him the Ministry of Education Scholarship and after three years of study at Kyota City University of Fine Arts, he received his Research Art Certificate. A few years later he earned his M.F.A. degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Shortly after receiving his M.F.A., Ikeda accepted an offer to teach at Ventura Community College in California. After only one year at the community college, he accepted a teaching position at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Ikeda has received several faculty grants, and is now the head of the ceramics department at Kansas State University. Ikeda employs an unusual off-center throwing technique that requires perfect timing and coordination. He also builds some of his works by hand. Landscapes and the organic aspects of nature serve as his inspiration.
Apollo’s Path
Waterfall
Ikeda received his B.S. degree from Portland State University in 1970. His degree was in painting and drawing, but in his senior year he realized working with clay was what he really wanted to do. Recognizing Ikeda?s keen desire to work with clay, one of his professors urged him to apply for a scholarship to study ceramics in Japan. The Japanese government awarded him the Ministry of Education Scholarship and after three years of study at Kyota City University of Fine Arts, he received his Research Art Certificate. A few years later he earned his M.F.A. degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Shortly after receiving his M.F.A., Ikeda accepted an offer to teach at Ventura Community College in California. After only one year at the community college, he accepted a teaching position at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Ikeda has received several faculty grants, and is now the head of the ceramics department at Kansas State University. Ikeda employs an unusual off-center throwing technique that requires perfect timing and coordination. He also builds some of his works by hand. Landscapes and the organic aspects of nature serve as his inspiration.