Isamu Noguchi and Modern Japanese Ceramics:
A Close Embrace of the Earth
by Louise Allison Cort and Bert Winther-Tamaki.
University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A., 2003. 240 pp.,
illus,
ISBN: 0-520-23923-7.
Reviewed by Rob Harle
recluse@lis.net.au
This is an excellent book. Just as Noguchi himself successfully crossed
boundaries and cultures, this book succeeds admirably in crossing
the boundaries of the lavish coffee table presentation, the studio
artists resource book and an extremely well researched academic
critique of mostly, post-war Japanese ceramic art.
Lavishly illustrated in both colour and black & white the book
will appeal to casual art lovers, and serious ceramic students, teachers
and researchers. Illustrations are not only of the stunning works
by the various represented artists, but also of them at work in their
studios, especially Noguchi, together with some wonderful personal
photos.
The main intellectual component of, Isamu Noguchi and Modern Japanese
Ceramics consists of four major essays, which make exciting reading.
Winther-Tamakis essay looks at factors which shaped Noguchis,
"embrace of Japanese earth as a medium of modern
sculpture and design" (p. xi). Ryu considers the broader milieu
of early post-war Japan and discusses not only ceramics, sculpture
and pottery but also the associated disciplines of architecture, graphic
design and landscape design. He then analyses the positions and work
of many ceramists with whom Noguchi interacted. Corts essay
extends the investigation of the Japanese artists and the philosophy
they expounded in their use of clay and "its potential for meaning".
Althshulers essay explores ways Noguchis work with clay
and its critical appraisal, especially in America, was driven by his
attitudes towards art making and national identity.
The latter was never far from Noguchis mind, as he was essentially
an outsider, at the start, in the world of Japanese ceramics and pottery.
Perhaps, like David Suzuki, this cross cultural inheritance generates
a unique vision which allows such individuals to excel in their chosen
fields. And like Suzuki, Noguchi never quite fitted neatly
into the American style nor the Japanese. Suzuki once said because
he looked Japanese and spoke like a North American he was not easily
and naturally accepted in either culture.
Throughout the book the emphasis is on critically exploring the dichotomies
such as, "pottery/sculpture, handicraft/industrial design, avant-gardism/academicism,
native/foreign and tradition/modernity" (p. xi), which confronted
both Noguchi and his Japanese clay working colleagues. Noguchi interestingly
made pottery only in Japan. "I have only made pottery in Japan,
never elsewhere. I think the earth here and the sentiment are suited
to pottery" (p. 1). These works were almost entirely created
in three intense periods; five moths in Kyoto 1931, one week in Seto
1950 and a couple of months in Bizen 1952. It is worth noting that
whilst this book focuses mainly on post-war Japanese ceramics, Noguchis
arrival in Moji from America in 1931 is also well documented.
Whilst the art versus craft dichotomy generally has become extremely
boring and passé, it was an important aspect of the post-war
Japanese ceramic scene and as such influenced Noguchi and the other
Japanese sculptors considerably. Consequently, the issues had to be
addressed in a comprehensive treatise such as this. Perhaps the revealing
investigation and critique of the art/craft relationship in Japan
will help lay this dichotomy to rest. "Our goal is to illuminate
the overlooked zone of interaction between conceptions of art and
craft by focusing on the work of ceramic artists who believed themselves
centrally engaged with modernism, surrealism, and other issues of
concern to the international art world" (p. x). This art/craft
dichotomy was partly fuelled by the notion that clay was generally
considered in America to be an inferior material for final sculpture.
The title is a little misleading, in that many of Japans leading
ceramicists and their work are discussed, not only Noguchi. Though
it must be said, Noguchis work was prolific in the three periods
in which he created ceramics in Japan and the focus on him is justified
in that he was a kind of common denominator, not necessarily
a pioneer, of this period of Japanese ceramics. He is of course the
most world famous of those considered, mainly for his sculptural works
in other materials, especially stone. These works are not discussed
nor shown in this volume, which is quite understandable as they have
been given adequate documentation in many other books. This book fills
the gap in Noguchis story and if for no other reason is important
for this alone.
The book has a useful Chronology an excellent Index and comprehensive
Bibliography which makes it essential reading for any serious researcher
or student interested in Noguchis work or post-war Japanese
ceramics.