Looking at this lyrical,
slip trailed design, I am reminded of Charles Rene Mackintosh and the Arts and
Crafts Movement with just a hint of Jugendstil thrown in for good measure, but
if you look closely and know the work of the potter, it is definitely all Kawai
Kanjiro. Given the well educated and experienced nature of Kawai, he was fully
aware of the prevalent movements and historical backdrop of art, craft and
specifically pottery; he was an artist of the world who happened to live and
work in Japan working within a Japanese sense of design peppered with bits and
pieces of what had come before. This wonderful gosu henko shows a brilliant
combination of traditional Japanese style married with odds and ends of all of
the experiences that Kawai had accumulated with
the areas where the slip trailing has captured and thickened the glaze,
creating a rich indigo decoration which is just spectacular and the result of
years of creative experience. Though more decorative and representational, it
is a masterwork by the artist synonymous with gosu, Kawai Kanjiro.
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