13.1 Clay
Clay (13.1) - Main Notes
Overview
Clay originates from soil with a heavily volcanic makeup mixed with water.
It is extremely flexible in the artist's hands, yet it hardens permanently when heated.
The art and science of making objects from clay is called ceramics.
A ceramist works with clay; a potter specializes in making dishes.
A wide range of objects are made from clay, including tableware, dishes, sculpture, bricks, and various tiles.
Three broad types of clay
Earthenware
Typically fired at , making it porous after firing.
Varies in color from red to brown to tan.
The most common type, used for many of the world's pots.
Stoneware
Fired at a higher temperature, , and is not porous.
Usually grayish or brown.
Modern ceramists and potters prefer stoneware for its combination of strength and easy workability.
Porcelain
Made from decomposed granite deposits.
Becomes white and nonporous after firing at a high temperature, typically .
Is translucent and rings when struck, indicating its unique quality.
First perfected in China; fine white dishes in Britain and America are still called "China."
Ceramic Process
Ceramists work with soft, damp clay using either hand building methods (like modeling) or throwing (shaping clay on a rapidly revolving wheel).
The potter's wheel, invented in Mesopotamia about years ago, enables the rapid and uniform production of circular forms.
After shaping, a piece is air dried before firing in a kiln.
Decoration
Two common liquids for decoration:
Slip: A mixture of clay and water (cream consistency), sometimes colored with earthen powders. Offers a limited range of colors.
Glaze: A liquid paint with a silica base. During firing, the glaze vitrifies (turns into a glass-like substance) and fuses with the clay body, creating a non-porous surface.
Glazes can be colored or clear, translucent or opaque, glossy or dull, depending on their chemical composition.
Firing changes the color of most glazes significantly.
Historical examples and developments
Ancient Greece: A major center for pottery, supplying the Mediterranean, often using terracotta (a type of earthenware).
Example: An oil jar shaped by a ceramist and decorated by the Eucharides painter using black slip over the body, revealing reddish underlying clay for the figure.
Octagonal pink vase from China: Made from fine white porcelain, likely a flower vase.
Features blue decoration on its white body, a technique perfected by Chinese ceramists that became globally renowned.
Early porcelain glazes were blue because it was the only color that could withstand high firing temperatures.
Its octagonal shape indicates it was hand-built, not thrown on a wheel.
Evolution: Ceramic processes changed slowly until the mid-20th century with new formulations (e.g., synthetic clays), more accurate firing methods, and less toxic equipment.
Betty Woodman: "Divided vase" — a contemporary, cubist work with an exuberant, free-form look, preserving spontaneous glaze application.
Used earthenware for natural shapes, suggestive of bamboo segments.
She threw each vase body in three pieces on the wheel before joining them and adding perforated panel handles.
Grayson Perry: Shows an ironic sensibility in his vessel, shaped like traditional whiskey jugs (but lacking a handle).
Used stoneware and threw the piece on a wheel.
His spontaneous-looking glazed decorations were painted slowly and meticulously.
Imagery from folk art and text excerpts from the Internet.
Perry advocates for simply enjoying art rather than always interpreting it.
Connections and implications
Ceramics is a blend of artistic form and scientific firing chemistry (glazing, vitrification).
Cultural exchange is evident in porcelain production, glaze colors, and the interpretation of domestic objects across various cultures (Greece, China, Britain, America).
The evolution of materials and techniques in the 20th century (synthetic clays, safer firing methods) reflects ongoing innovation in materials science and craft.
Clay (13.1) - Cues/Questions
What is ceramics, and who are ceramists and potters?
What are the three broad types of clay, and what are their respective firing temperatures and properties?
Where and when was the potter's wheel invented?
What is the difference between "hand building" and "throwing" clay?
Describe the purpose and characteristics of a "slip" versus a "glaze" in ceramic decoration.
What is vitrification in the context of glazes?
Why was blue a predominant color in early Chinese porcelain decoration?
How have ceramic processes evolved since the mid-20th century?
What makes Betty Woodman's "divided vase" cubist and expressive?
What artistic choices and philosophy does Grayson Perry convey through his "vessel"?
Clay (13.1) - Summary
Ceramics is an ancient art form utilizing clay, a material that is flexible when wet and permanent when fired. It encompasses three main types: earthenware (, porous), stoneware (, nonporous), and porcelain (, white, translucent). Objects are shaped via hand-building or throwing on a potter's wheel, first developed in Mesopotamia about years ago, then air-dried and fired in a kiln. Decoration involves applying either slip (colored clay-water mixture) or glaze (a silica-based liquid that vitrifies, forming a glass-like surface). Historical examples range from Ancient Greek terracotta to Chinese porcelain, renowned for its blue-and-white patterns, with early blue glazes being unique for their high-temperature resistance. Ceramic processes saw significant evolution in the mid-20th century with new materials and safer techniques. Contemporary artists like Betty Woodman and Grayson Perry continue to push artistic boundaries, combining traditional methods with modern sensibilities and critical reflections on art itself. The field of ceramics consistently blends artistic expression with scientific principles and cultural exchange.