Posted on May 12, 2020 at 2:00 PM by Quinn Vandenberg
How does one differentiate between objects that are mass produced one after the other in a factory and objects made by hand in the studio through the cultivated skills of a professional? Ask an expert.
Ceramic Artist Peter Hamann is a ceramic artist living and working in Japan. A selection of his works of art are included in the Contemplate Japan exhibition at the Brunnier Art Museum (currently closed). His skill of crafting the combination of lids and containers became his "claim to fame" in Japan. In a recent judged art exhibition where he submitted a ceramic jar and lid, the lid was millimeters off from being perfectly aligned with the edges on the bowl, yet the judges must not have been too troubled by it. They awarded him first prize for “Beauty in Imperfection.”
The Japanese word Kōgei, which means handcrafted, emerged in Japan's Meiji period beginning in the second half of the 19th century. Hamann says during this time Western influence increased in Japan and it seemed there was no word to distinguish between art, craft, and industry. "It was all made by hand, so there was no need for distinction," said Hamann.
A dividing line was created. On one side, industry and mass production. On the other, objects made by hand by an artist, or Kōgei.
"[Kōgei] is everything we call art and craft and, possibly, even more," said Hamann. "Kōgei could be described as craft taken to the level of art, but that somehow misses the mark. In my mind, it is a great term that eliminates the need to talk about what is art and what is craft which we spent so much time in college discussing. Afterall, isn't it really a question of creativity and quality rather than what medium one works in."
The selection of Hamman's ceramics in the Contemplate Japan exhibition includes vases, dishes, bowls and incense burners, which are part of the Brunnier Art Museum's permanent collection and on loan from a private collection.
Top: Tea Box by Peter Hamann, porcelain. On loan from Private Collection.
Above Right: Bowl by Peter Hamann, unglazed porcelain. On loan from Private Collection.
Below: Bowl, Tea Bowl, Covered Dish, and Bowl, all by Peter Hamann. In the permanent collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. UM2019.19, UM2017.119ab, UM2015.190, UM2017.352.
