Japanese Modern Studio Ceramic Oribe Jar by Ryoji Koie

A glazed ceramic vessel by Japanese potter Ryoji Koie (1938-2020). Hand-built with intention to be seen as such, the tsubo has a primordial irregular form with a small opening and a swelled body resembling a beehive. The upper body was covered in a glassy green oribe glaze with fine crackles, highlighted with three incised geometrical symbols. The lower body is unglazed and exposed the white clay with marks of the hand-making pinches and kneading along the base. The base also shows highly irregular surface due to the seashell spur marks and clay pitting in the kiln during the firing process. All these occurrences honestly preserved and presented as part of the character of this wonderful modern piece. The jar comes with a wooden tomobako box.
"One of Japan’s most versatile and forward-thinking contemporary artists, KOIE RY?JI was best known as a ceramist but esteemed for his two-dimensional artwork as well. His love of experimentation led to his creation of “ceramic happenings,” with themes that were social and often political critiques of the horrors of the 20th century. Born in 1938 in Tokoname, one of the oldest ceramic centers in Japan, Koie studied ceramics locally but almost immediately developed his iconoclastic style. Rather than labor to preserve tradition, as a young man, he looked to movements in postwar contemporary art such as the abstract expressionist paintings of Jackson Pollock and the found-object ethos of Mono-ha. The gestural application of glazes on his ceramics created dynamic surfaces that reflected this innovative approach. His works can be found in the permanent collections of prominent museums on five continents."
Courtesy from Joan B. Mirviss LTD.