There
is a tremendous sense of economy and calculated simplicity when it comes to the
chawan of Hamada Shoji. I am always impressed by the totality of his experience
and years of repetition that have distilled form and function to a point where
simplicity and economy reign supreme. This chawan is noble in its austerity, a
form where the superfluous has been abandoned, the decoration is as elemental
as possible and the use of a single glaze that has a great variety in its
surface are all of the trademarks that create a bowl where neither editing or adjustments
are either needed or possible. Few potters can make such a chawan and Hamada
excelled at the art of the rustic which is so clearly on display in this ame-yu
chawan. As I ponder the phenomenal array of modern pottery, there are few who
can take such a simple bowl and create so much out of so little, culminating in
a conversation that cuts across time and culture so effortlessly as the chawan
of Hamada Shoji.
"These
are the best pots, if they can be done at the best times." Shoji Hamada
(from the book SHOJI HAMADA by Susan Peterson)
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