It is exceedingly easy to marvel at simplicity.
How is it possible to strip away the unwanted encumbrances, additions,
distractions, to do away with all the superfluous that can weigh down an
object? There is a palpable complexity to simplicity and in its creation, it is
never born from over thought, conscious action, rather it springs from a
disciplined and well practiced extension of years of unconscious repetition
earned over decades of "doing". A simple object exudes a clarity of
idea and purpose since there is nothing to clutter the direct intent of its
function in a classic example of "less means more". As a potter, I
know I can be guilty of "more means more" and though I won't blame
our modern times for that stern indoctrination, it is not a simple thing to
work consciously in an unconscious manner, for most of us, it goes against our
accumulated experiences. It might be this fact alone that makes the creation of
simple, honest pots both so difficult and so greatly admired, quite frankly,
simple is just awfully hard.
Illustrated is a straightforward and
uncomplicated mallet vase by one of the brilliant talents of modern Japan, Hori
Ichiro. Uncluttered in form, yet noble and gestural in its simplicity, the pot
has been dipped, seemingly, hap-hazardly in a satiny smooth Shino glaze that
has created an nearly infinite variety of effects and has painted a masterful
surface over the pot. The manner in which the Shino has areas of thick and thin
glaze, varying effects, together with rich tsuchi-aji and the aftermath of
wood-firing has served to create a pot that is anything but simple. The vase
has much to say about the process of creation, materials and the potter, a
conversation that may start out as a simple whispered word or two that over
time as a lifelong companion, has a great deal to say about its presence,
tradition and an artist who has combined the old with the new.
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