AH 0102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Stoneware, Faceting, Formal Language
12 May 2018
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Notes for day 13: March 20, 2018
East Asian Ceramics: Japanese Ceramics
Announcements:
• Blackboard has been updated with weighted total grades
• Preliminary head count needed for April 14th (Sat) group visit to Yale Art Gallery
• Keep your eye on the event calendar—most have not yet submitted outside
event/exhibition reflection
• There have been adjustments to the reading and journal schedule; check the Google doc
• Bring you ceramic mugs/cups on Friday—I’ll Bring the tea! Also bring devices—we’ll
be doing in class research on Chinese Song Dynasty
Goals for today:
• Become familiar with concepts, techniques, and terminology of pottery/ceramics
traditions in East Asia
Elements:
• Clay: makes up ceramics
• Workshop: where you make ceramics
• Wheel and tools: helps to assemble specific ceramics
• Forming methods: techniques (pinching and coiling)
• Glazes: paints or coatings of ceramics to make them appear like porcelain
• Decorating methods: decorations via paint or indentations of the clay
• Kiln: machine used to fire ceramics
Video Notes about Methods and techniques of ceramics:
• Difference in kiln used:
o Electric kilns require different forms of clay molds in the ceramics, which appear
almost perfect when formed, and the glass and glossy form of the ceramics after
firing lack little imperfections
o The gas kiln leads to the formation of bubbles in paint and imperfections of form
in the ceramics
• Ash versus glossy glazes are used in gas kiln and electric kilns, respectively
• The gas kilns require care in terms of the dangers to individuals who work with such
kilns
Clay (tsuchi):
• Primary versus secondary clays (harvesting); secondary is harvested clay that undergoes
changes due to changes in geological processes; primary is also harvested but it is
harvested immediately from its location so no deposits and changes occur to the clay
• Weathering (aging), refining, mixing, adding temper (preparation)
• Local variations and tsuichi aji—“clay flavor/taste” (the way it looks and feels)
• Commercially available clays
• Earthenware versus stoneware versus porcelain clays
• Clay that is harvested has to be developed in a certain way in nature and then individually
strained to remove natural impurities
• Clay of different compositions can be combined with one another to form marbled
ceramics (like cake)
Steps to making clay:
• Extraction raw materials in order to make the glaze and the clay body
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
