Original Box
Showa - Heisei
D:42cm H:4.5cm
This is a large bowl by Funaki Kenji, a ceramic artist who was influenced by the folk art movement of Yanagi Muneyoshi, and established his own unique style while being greatly influenced by English slipware (ceramics with decorative clay).
The center of this imposing bowl is decorated with a powerful, yet somewhat humorous lion. The lines of the lion painted in clay are reminiscent of English slipware, but the face and the overall atmosphere of the bowl give it a simple and friendly charm that is reminiscent of Japanese folk art aesthetics, especially Otsu-e. The dotted patterns decorating the rim of the vessels also add a rhythmic life to the overall effect.
Kenji FUNAKI
1927 - 2015
Born into the Funaki family, a 170-year-old Nushina-yaki potter from the Edo period. He studied under Shoji Hamada and later received the Japan Folk Crafts Museum Award, the Contemporary Japanese Ceramic Art Exhibition, and the Salon du Printemps Scholarship Award. In 1953, he was invited by the Ryukyu government to Ryukyu to make pottery. He trained at a kiln in Bernard Leach. He was fascinated by slipware, which was popular in England during the 17th and 18th centuries, and adopted this technique in earnest. After returning to Japan, he exhibited his work at various exhibitions and won awards.
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