ARTH 350 Studies in the History of Ceramics

• Wednesdays, 8:45am-11:15am
• EV-1-605 
• Instructor: Dr. Rachel Gotlieb

This course will examine the historical, cultural and global developments of that category of ceramics called “bodies.” The term “bodies” on one level can be understood in physical terms of different kinds of clay that form the starting point of the ceramic object but on another level, it can be interpreted as a metaphoric representation of the human body. In yet another category, there are “ceramic objects created by and for the body” (Bonnie Kemske, 2009). The making, consuming and afterlife of ceramic figurative vessels, figurines and sculptures play an integral role in human life, and we will investigate some of these ceramic bodies as they relate to cradle to grave rituals, some common and others not. Size matters and for this reason we will look at large figurative sculptures and small figurines. As well, we will explore how the body is represented as two-dimensional decoration on three-dimensional form. We will consider why the studio pottery movement in the twentieth century privileged the vessel over the figure. Lastly, we will analyse the current figurative impulse and expressions of the body in contemporary conceptual ceramics. Specific works to be studied include the Emperor Qin’s Terra Cotta Army, Greek Red and Black figure vessels, Nazca warrior jars, Chinese narrative porcelain, Nigerian Nok figures, Della Robbia’s Renaissance sculptures, Meissen and Shary Boyle porcelain figurines. Throughout the course, special attention will be paid to the gendering, identity and inherent racism expressed in ceramic figuration.