KARATSU WASH

I am not that familiar with the painter and print artist Akizuki Akira (b. 1923) but I do know that I was drawn in to this ink wash painting (?) of a rather simple tsubo. The use of soft washes and shadowed bottom and highlighted neck and mouth create a rather lyrical image of a typical E-Garatsu style pot. The simple addition of the iron decoration on the face of pot done in a darker brown/black ink which at the very least captures the heart and nature of a simple, humble Karatsu tsubo. Perhaps what interests me most is how these various 2-D artists perceive the "essence" of pottery and then manages to present their understanding of the piece in a different format. In recent years there have been a number of pottery enthusiast artists, most notably Daniel Kelly and Joel Stewart who create both paintings and prints showing off the beauty of traditional Japanese pottery and like them, Akizuki has made quite a few works with pottery as a main focus showcasing what it is that the pot says to him and through his work to each and every viewer.