COOL BLUE MONDAY

Based on Longquan glazes developed in China during the Sung Dynasty (1127-1297), celadon glazes have played an important role in the pottery of Japan especially during the studio movement of the Meiji Period. Indirectly, Suzuki Sansei (b. 1936) is related to that movement through his master Kawamura Seizan (1890-1967) who served as a bridge between the old and the contemporary. Through his study with Kawamura, Suzuki Sansei learned the skills and technology of modern celadon along with an array of other techniques, though he choose to dedicate his work to the cool blue seiji glazes on porcelain which he is best known for. Illustrated is a classic example of pottery by Suzuki Sansei, most likely made in the mid-1990's. The form is glazed in a pale blue seiji, almost robin's egg in color, which along with a few accentuated craze lines paints a noble picture of a simple and elegant pot finished off with a loop handle that mimics the overall form. Though richly influenced by Chinese pottery, this mizusashi has its roots clearly in  Japan that goes back at least as far as the Edo Period. Suzuki Sansei has done an exceptional job of infusing the pot with the best of the past to create a thoroughly modern piece.