Price ÂŁ10
KEN MATSUZAKI
30
4
KEN MATSUZAKI
Essay by Gil Darby
goldmark 2013
1
6
KEN MATSUZAKI
Elemental is a word often used to describe the pots of Ken Matsuzaki. In reality all hand-made pots are elemental in that they are formed from earth, thrown or shaped while being softened by water, dried in air and baked with fire. In the sixteenth century we in the west were seduced by the few exotic and novel objects reaching our shores made from a seemingly supernatural material that was white, unlike any native ceramic body, hard and durable though at the same time fragile. It was of course porcelain and the history of western ceramics until the late nineteenth century was dictated in the most part by belief in porcelain’s superiority and popularity. Clay had been de-natured and we forgot, or ignored, its close relationship to all things natural and earthy. It was only when Japan was opened up to the west in the mid-nineteenth century after over two hundred years of selfimposed isolationism that we became aware of a different aesthetic through the teachings of Europeans who travelled in the Far East such as the writer Lafcadio Hearn and the potter Bernard Leach. The fact that Japan closed her borders to foreigners in the 1630s, allowing trade only through a few tightly controlled ports, meant that no new external influences reached artists and craftsmen and this resulted in a closer and more introspective study of their immediate natural world.
7
70
102
8
19
9
99
10
This shows in the work of potters such as the seventeenth century Ninsei whose enamels, inspired by the exquisite work of court lacquer decorators, were fired onto robust, familiar farmyard storage jars. His pupil Kenzan, son of a court dressmaker, likewise often mixed courtly calligraphy with rustic forms. But above all it is to nature that all great Japanese potters including Shoji Hamada, his pupil Tatsuzo Shimaoka and in turn his pupil Matsuzaki, have turned. In Matsuzaki’s works there are the obvious connections to nature in shapes based on seedpods, the ribs of vegetation, of gourd and other vegetable forms, side by side with forms derived from metalwork and lacquer. This observation, together with Matsuzaki’s ability to place a rich glaze or a calligraphic sweep so that it enhances but does not swamp the underlying thrown or coiled form puts his pots in the top rank of contemporary Japanese ceramics. Nor, one suspects, does he ever forget that he is usually creating pottery to be used for eating and drinking. If you use chopsticks then it is easier to eat rice from a curved, high-sided bowl than it is from a flat western plate. Likewise it is easier for us to eat our bacon and eggs from a flat surface using a knife and fork. There is no tradition in Japan of the handled cup and again a bowl for tea or wine needs to be comfortable to hold and have a rim that feels sympathetic on the mouth. Storage jars may be functional and fired
11
51
12
2
13
54
11
14
or glazed so as not to admit damp if they are to contain dry foodstuffs, nor be porous if they are to hold liquids. However they can also be objects made simply to be admired. Matsuzaki’s pots fit all these criteria and while they are serious creations they are never over earnest. They can be lively and colourful or quiet and humble, and on occasion the chance, or sometimes deliberate, mishap in making or firing is celebrated. No two pots of his are ever identical, in each you are conscious of the brain of the potter connected directly through his hand to the clay as it moves on the wheel or work surface. This is in direct contrast to the western European industrial ideal, exemplified by the work of the important eighteenth century English potter Josiah Wedgwood, who sought to standardise his pots so that they all came out of the kiln looking exactly the same as the previous batch. We became so used to this reliable but mechanical method of production that our ceramics industry by the late nineteenth century had mostly lost sight of the elemental nature of ceramic materials and as a reaction our so-called studio pottery movement evolved. In Japan, after the long period of isolationism ended the sudden influx of western ideas and technologies threatened to sweep away many traditional methods of craftsmanship. Gradually the Mingei (folk art) movement grew up, with some similarities to our western
15
Arts and Crafts movement, but with a much deeper respect for the master, and initially subservient, apprentice relationship. Matsuzaki’s pots have grown out of all these things as well as the hazards nature has always thrown at potters in Japan. In the serious earthquake of 2011 the town Mashiko where he is based was badly hit and Matsuzaki’s wood-firing kilns were destroyed, together with many pots. His kilns are rebuilt, he is potting again, and we are privileged to see once more his masterful work. Gil Darby May 2013
16
33
17
. . . an oeuvre that is truly impressive and immediately recognisable as his own.
. . . such power, skill and subtlety is the mark of a great and confident artist. Phil Rogers
32
19
20
3
21
37
22
52
23
100
23
21
24
8
25
26
14
27
34
64
28
29
29
16
10
15
30
24
31
32
22
33
12
34
38
35
His work has a strength, quality and authority that is formed from tradition but he no longer feels bound by its dictums. One can see the lineage of Matsuzaki pots but also how he has found his own voice. His work vibrates with the excitement of discovery as if each form or motif, glaze or fire-mark, produced countless times, is discovered for the first time. Sebastian Blackie
39
37
38
13
39
35
40
5
41
44
43
42
42
41
43
44
17
45
47
46
47
48
48
56
49
57
58
55
50
60
50
68
71
51
72
84
74
78
76
77
6
4
8
54
Illustrated Pots
All sizes in cm
1. Yohen Vase. Shino
31.0 x 27.5
2. Yohen Vase. Shino
31.0 x 21.0
3. Yohen Vase. Shino
30.0 x 21.5
4. Yohen Rectangular Vase. Shino
23.5 x 24.0
5. Yohen Rectangular Vase. Gold Shino
25.0 x 25.0
6. Yohen Rectangular Vase. Natural ash glaze
25.0 x 24.0
8. Yohen Rectangular Vase. Natural ash glaze with soda
25.0 x 24.0
10. Yohen Square Vase. Natural ash glaze
26.0 x 10.0
11. Yohen Vase. Shino
27.5 x 27.5
12. Vase. Tetsu Yuu
30.5 x 18.5
13. Yohen Vase. Shino
36.0 x 19.0
14. Yohen Vase. Shino
32.5 x 20.5
15. Yohen Square Vase. Natural ash glaze
23.0 x 10.0
16. Yohen Square Vase. Natural ash glaze & shino 17. Yohen Square Vase. Natural ash glaze with soda
22.0 x 9.5 25.0 x 10.0
19. Yohen Rectangular Vase. Natural ash glaze
28.0 x 23.5
21. Yohen Rectangular Vase. Natural ash glaze
22.0 x 20.0
22. Yohen Epigraphy Vase. Natural ash glaze
27.5 x 21.5
23. Yohen Lidded Cup. Natural ash glaze
11.0 x 12.0
24. Small Yohen Vase. Shino
17.0 x 17.0
29. Yohen Water Container. Shino
18.0 x 17.0
30. Yohen Water Container. Natural ash glaze
27.0 x 23.0
32. Yohen Water Container. Natural ash glaze & shino
21.0 x 21.0
33. Water Container. Oribe
16.0 x 16.5
34. Water Pot. Yohen shino
33.0 x 27.0
35. Bowl. Yohen oribe
17.0 x 36.0
37. Yohen Vase. Natural ash glaze
22.5 x 13.5
38. Bowl. Oribe
7.0 x 29.5
39. Plate. Oribe
4.0 x 34.0
40. Bowl. Oribe
7.0 x 25.0
41. Rectangular Vase. Shino
17.5 x 9.0
42. Rectangular Vase. Shino
17.5 x 9.0
55
61
82
61
71
43. Yohen Rectangular Vase. Natural ash glaze
17.5 x 9.0
44. Rectangular Vase. Oribe
17.5 x 9.0
47. Pair of Plates. Oribe
4.5 x 19.0
48. Suzuri Set. Oribe
5.5 x 18.0
50. Vase. Oribe
23.5 x 13.0
51. Vase. Tetsu Shino
22.5 x 21.5
52. Yohen Lidded Cup. Natural ash glaze
11.0 x 12.0
54. Vase. Tetsu Shino
17.0 x 11.0
55. Sake Bottle. Oribe
14.0 x 7.0
56. Sake Bottle. Yohen Shino
15.0 x 8.5
57. Sake Bottle. Yohen natural ash glaze
14.5 x 9.0
58. Sake Bottle. Yohen Shino
14.5 x 7.0
60. Cup. Oribe
10.0 x 8.0
61. Cup. Yohen soda gosuji
10.0 x 8.0
64. Cup. Yohen shino
11.5 x 8.5
67. Sake Cup. Hakeme
4.5 x 6.5
68. Sake Cup. Oribe
4.0 x 8.0
70. Cup. Oribe
10.0 x 8.0
71. Cup. Oribe
10.0 x 8.0
72. Cup. Oribe
10.0 x 8.0
74. Cup. Natural ash glaze
10.0 x 8.5
76. Cup. Natural ash glaze
10.0 x 8.5
77. Cup. Yohen gold shino
10.0 x 8.0
78. Cup. Yohen gold shino
9.5 x 8.5
82. Cup. Shino
10.0 x 8.5
84. Cup. Shino
11.0 x 9.0
99. Sake Cup. Yohen Shino
5.5 x 7.5
100. Yohen Lidded Cup. Natural ash glaze
11.0 x 12.0
102. Water Pot. Narumi Oribe
32.5 x 23.0
58
4
59
60
16
61
67
62
Biographical Notes 1950
Born in Tokyo, Japan, the third son of Nihonga painter Matsuzaki Shuki.
1972
Graduated from Tamagawa University, School of Fine Arts, ceramic art major. Began a pottery apprenticeship with Tatsuzo Shimaoka, Mashiko (Tochigi Prefecture).
1977
Built a kiln and established a workshop in Mashiko, where he presently lives.
1980
Received the Kokugakai Arts Association Nojima Award.
1982
Became an associate member of the Kokugakai Arts Association.
1984
Received the Associate Members’ Prize of Excellence Award from the Kokugakai Arts Association.
1986
Became a full member of the Kokugakai Arts Association.
1993
Modern Japanese Ceramics Exhibition, Elysium Art, New York.
1995
Group Exhibition, Gallery Dai Ichi Arts, New York, NY. Six Master Potters of the Modern Age Exhibition, Babcock Gallery, New York, NY.
2001
Solo Exhibition, Rufford Gallery, Nottinghamshire, England.
2002
Tradition Today Exhibition, Pucker Gallery, Boston, MA.
2003
Turning Point: Oribe and the Arts of Sixteenth-Century Japan Exhibition, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY.
2004
Elemental Force Exhibition, Pucker Gallery, Boston, MA.
2005
Solo Exhibition, Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin, Wales UK. International Ceramics Festival, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK. Solo Exhibition, Rufford Gallery, Nottinghamshire, England.
2006
Transformation and Use Exhibition, Pucker Gallery, Boston, MA.
2007
Solo Exhibition, Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham, England.
2008
Burning Tradition Exhibition, Pucker Gallery, Boston, MA.
2009
Solo exhibition at Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham, Rutland, UK.
2010
Exploring the Exquisite exhibition, Pucker Gallery, Boston, MA.
63
2011
Solo exhibition at Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham, Rutland, UK. Ken Matsuzaki, Utsunomiya Aoki Gallery, Japan.
2012
Ken Matsuzaki Platters, Utsunomiya Aoki Gallery, Japan.
2013
Solo exhibition at Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham, Rutland, UK.
Solo exhibition, Pucker Gallery, Boston, MA.
Selected Exhibitions in Japan Fukuya Department Store, Hiroshima. Hankyu Department Store, Osaka. Keio Department Store, Tokyo. Takashimaya Department Store, Yokohama. Group exhibitions with Tatsuzo Shimaoka. Matsuzaki Family Exhibitions with father and two brothers (painting, ceramics and lacquer ware).
Selected Museum Collections Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH. Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA. Sackler Museum of Art, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Tikotin Museum, Haifa, Israel. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England. Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA. Museum of The City of Landoshut, Germany, (Rudolf Strasser Collection). Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.
64
55
65
40
Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham, Rutland, LE15 9SQ 01572 821424 Text: © Gil Darby 2013 Photographs: © Jay Goldmark Design: Porter / Goldmark ISBN 978-1-909167-04-9 goldmarkart.com
GOLDMARK CERAMICS MONOGRAPHS 1
Phil Rogers New Pots 2005 2 Clive Bowen New Pots 2006 3 Lisa Hammond New Pots 2006 4 Mike Dodd Recent Pots 2007 5 Ken Matsuzaki (2007) Thirty Years of a Living Tradition 6 Svend Bayer (2007) New Pots 7 Jim Malone (2008) The Pursuit of Beauty 8 Phil Rogers (2008) A Potter of our Time 9 Lisa Hammond (2009) Unconscious Revelation 10 Ken Matsuzaki New Pots 2009 11 Mike Dodd New Pots 2009
12 Clive Bowen New Pots 2009 13 Svend Bayer New Pots 2010 14 Nic Collins New Pots 2011 15 Ken Matsuzaki New Pots 2011 16 Jim Malone New Pots 2011 17 Mike Dodd (2011) The Perceptive Spirit 18 Anne Mette Hjortshøj New Pots 2012 19 Lisa Hammond (2012) A Sense of Adventure 20 Svend Bayer Svend Bayer 2012 21 Jean-Nicolas Gérard Slipware 2013 22 Ken Matsuzaki Ken Matsuzaki 2013
GOLDMARK CERAMICS FILMS 1 2 3 4 5
Phil Rogers - A Passion For Pots Ken Matsuzaki - Elemental Svend Bayer Nic Collins Jim Malone
6 7 8 9
Mike Dodd Anne Mette Hjortshøj Lisa Hammond Jean-Nicolas Gérard
For further details or to order: visit goldmarkart.com or phone 01572 821424
goldmark Uppingham Rutland LE15 9SQ England goldmarkart.com