What Is Pottery In Art?

In art, pottery has many uses. Art pottery refers to pottery that has artistic aspirations and is handmade. This type of pottery was most often made between 1870 and 1930. Some types are more decorative than functional. In addition, art pottery is often crafted in limited editions. This pottery was usually hand-painted or decorated and has a particular meaning. There are several different types of pottery, and we’ll explore each of them in this article.

Types

Earthenware is a very porous form of pottery that absorbs moisture and is thus soft and porous. As a result, it has limited impurities and has been in use since ancient times. Earthenware is often made of clay or quartz, with a small percentage of feldspar or quartz. Terracotta is another clay-based form of pottery that doesn’t have a glaze. It’s often used for bricks and planters.

Today, Jemez pottery is a popular medium for artists and artisans in nearly every country. Today, pottery is studied and taught as an art form in virtually every college and university. It’s one of the most affordable forms of ceramic art. Despite being inexpensive, pottery is still closely linked to local culture and often represents shapes and patterns that signify its region of origin. For example, Native American vases are typically geometric in design and rarely contain more than four colors. Many feature flowers and animals, but not human beings.

Glazes

When making pots, potters use glazes to add color to their work. Glazes are composed of several different mineral oxides, which give pottery the different colors it has. These oxides are melted in kilns and ground to specific mesh sizes. Stains are used to give a glaze its particular color and can be added to clay bodies and glazes at different ratios. They are safer than raw metal oxides and can be applied to many different types of pottery.

When applying glazes, artists use several techniques, such as dipping. This method works best for applying a single layer of glaze, but artists can also use glaze trailing, stippling, and wax resist. The application of a single coat will vary based on the type of glaze used and the texture desired. For example, wax resistance is generally thinner than other glazes, but applying more than one coat may be necessary.

Techniques

Painting is one of the oldest pottery techniques and has been practiced since prehistoric times. This process has evolved to include many variations, and the techniques involved vary widely from region to region. Paint is applied to pottery that has already been fired and may be covered by a glaze. Many pigments change color when fired, so a glaze is necessary to protect the pottery. The glaze can be clear, colored, opaque, or a combination of all three.

Another pottery technique is “granulate pressing,” which involves compressing the clay into the desired shape. It doesn’t use a rotating wheel head but relies on a two-part plaster mold. A lump of clay is placed into the concave portion of the mold. A heavy-duty compressing machine then pushes the plaster mold on the convex side of the mold and squeezes the clay into the desired shape and size. Sculptured pottery is typically made using techniques such as this.

Meaning Of Pottery

Pottery has been used in the art for thousands of years. Its use as a material for art, utensils, and containers is similar to sculpture. Through the centuries, the art of pottery has become more refined as people have experimented with different ways to use the material. Today, there are countless types of pottery, from hand-built pots to wheel-thrown pottery.

One of the best aspects of pottery is its durability. Many civilizations have pottery remnants that have stood the test of time. Because ceramic items are durable, they tend to last longer than other materials. The longevity of ceramic items makes them valuable to people who make them, and this quality attracts many to take up the practice. This quality also makes pottery an excellent medium for creating art.