WIND IN THE WILLOWS

When you conjour up an image of pottery by Tomimoto Kenkichi, you can see the majestic and intricated painted porcelains he is so well known for but there is another side to his work that rarely gets the attention it deserves. The work I am talking about is the ink painting inspired pottery made as slipware, stoneware and painted porcelains that he concentrated on early in his career depicted all types of flora, fauna, landscapes and pattern some of which has connections to the Mingei movement, The Arts and Crafts Movement, various folk potteries, older Kutani and even Momoyama inspired ink painting. Though I love his inticate painted porcelains, I love his more spontaneous and subdued works on pottery and in ink and water colors as well. This vivid ink and wash scroll painting brings you to the exact spot of the image, feeling the wind in the willows, hearing the rustling of the blowing branches and leaves. It is wonderful how using just the right amount of brush strokes and the right depth of color can stir the imagination and set the mind in to motion; unquestionably the skill of a gifted artist.

INK WASH II

Illustrated is a rich and fluid ink water color by Ningen Kokuho, Tomimoto Kenkichi. Most likely rendered during the 1940's, this design shows the vivid and casual designs he was well known for earlier on in his career as well as a bit of inspiration from William Morris and the Arts & Crafts movement. The form is classic Tomimoto and was used through out his career but these well conceived but more naturalistic designs gave way to his more detail oriented and constructed design for which he is best known for today. I really admire his early works which included slip trailed, carved, raku and simple sometsuke pottery and shows his pathway to the complex iro-e style of enamel painting that he was made Ningen Kokuho for. What is clearly seen in the ink wash is Tomimoto's impressive use of space and color and whether it is paper or porcelain, his mastery of materials, technique and design stand out among the best of the artist-potters of the 20th century.

You can see a previous blog post which shows another ink wash by clicking on the link provided;
http://albedo3studio.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-wash.html
 

INLAY

A fairly rare and interesting vase arrived here today by a master of inlay, Kondo Yutaka. Using the elemental  but contrasting colors of black and white, Yutaka has created a vivid and highly animated vase with his textbook decoration, textured black surface and vivid white inlay created by stamping and the use of a rouletting tool. Kondo Yutaka (1932-85) was the son of Ningen Kokuho Kondo Yuzo and studied with his father as well as Tomimoto Kenkichi and Fujimoto Yoshimichi (Nodo) both Living National Treasures as well. On a trip to Korea and China, Yutaka who was drawn to black and white was heavily influenced by the Korean ware known as punch'ong and rapidly developed a unique style based on the historic archetype. This vase is a classic example of this inlay work and is a highly developed example of a synthesis of function and aesthetics at which he excelled. There is a tremendous amount communicated in only black and white with such a simple and well executed idea.