Anna Cochrane KZNSA

1) Kwan Zulu Natal Social Arts

2) Interpreting Ceramics 

Ceramics association of southern Africa KZN Region

3) Dragon

Kyle Pierpont 

Ceramic Clay and paint

R10905

4) Coil building and other 

This was made in a lot of detail of a ceramic dragon, in certain areas such as the middle of the 'town" it shows coil building as there is a spiral oval shape with the dragon tail following around the middle in a circular pattern 

5) my piece is a ceramic dragon wrapping itself around a town in a sea that has a lot of detail with colours such as green blue and orange. it has been glazed and textures of scales have been made on the dragon 

6) It was beautifully made and had contrasting colours and attention to detail which looked extremely time consuming and hard to make which is why I was drawn towards it and chose it has my piece

7) colour - complimentary colours such as orange with blue and green 

texture - real scales have been made on the dragon 

tone - shades of light and dark colours created a mysterious and scary mood with the dragon 

8) Morrishale@telkomsa.net

9) the way the piece was displayed shows the piece as a whole but when you move close and around it, you see allot more than when from far 

10) Display

Tumi Qholosha ( gallery exhibition)

1. Kwa-Zulu natal society art 

2. 

3. 113 Astrid Dahl (artist), earthenware 1/1 (title), 20 000 (Price) 

4.coiling method, the sculpture is built up 

5. It is a 3d painting(sculpture) it is more shaped like a (peach) vase, it seems to look like a vase but things carving out and in like bulls horns 

6. It is simple but unique piece, because pieces are carved out and some left hollow, it makes me feel like it is part of you life because, in life you are mostly face with wonderful memories and things (surface) , but at the same time, there are the hard time (which is the points and holes)

7.colour: it is a very neutral colour (white ) 

tone:, it is a sculpture, that has been painted in one colour, but the way it has been made bring it some tone 

Texture: it is very smooth but the it has some sharp parts sticking out 

8. Yes the artist is well established, she has a Pinterest account 

http://www.pinterest.com/carowoer/astrid-dahl/

9. Yes it's is enhance the view because i am able to see everything, and I can walk around it 

10. it can be used as a display

Jessica Dawson KZNSA Gallery

1. KwaZulu-Natal Society of Art

2. Interpreting Ceramics - Ceramics Association of Southern Africa KZN region

3.

Title: Nguni Bull

Artist: Phumlani Nyawo

Medium: Sculpture

Size: 60c

Price: R2500

4. The artist used slab building and sculpture.

5. The sculpture takes the shape of a bull and is glazed

6. I selected 'Nguni Bull' to study as it has both beautiful (smooth curves of the bull and the natural colouring) and dangerous aspects (the stance of the bull indicating an attack/defensive position) It is an endearing piece that depicts the true beauty and grace of the bull.

7. Line: the lines of the bull's body are curved to create the body of the bull and are natural.

    Colour: varying tones of browns, ranging from a black-brown to creamy whites.

    Shape: organic shape of a bull.

8. The artist is well established, with this particular piece being awarded highly recommended.

PHUMLANI'S DETAILS: morrishale@telkomsa.net

9. The piece is displayed along with three other sculptures of bulls with similar colouring but in different stances, it is the biggest of the three sculptures.

10. The 'Nguni Bull's' use is purely for displaying purposes.

Prehistoric Art Video Summary Theory - Nicola MacDonald

How do we tell one shape from another & different colors? We rely on pictures, shapes and colors to get through ordinary life. In the past it was imageless. Images have created our world today. 2D images are the collection of pencil lines on paper so you can see what you want everyone to see. We don't know how prehistoric artist found the ability to create images. 2000 years ago we had no problems drawing 3D pictures and almost 1200BC people knew how to draw. 

Northern Spain - Altamira

In Northern Spain, Altamira a 9 year old girl, Maria, made a discovery.  Maria and her father went to a unknown cave. They thought it was incapable for people to have lived in this cave. Maria made the discovery which made the country famous. She discovered cave paintings. These cave paintings are one first gallery of prehistoric art. The art mainly consists of an animal, orox  (spices of ox that's extent). These images were so good it was unthinkable that cave people did it, the paintings were ancient. "The cave walls were festooned with striking pictures of horses and bulls that date from the Ice Age, all rendered with exquisite sophistication and symbolic force. Upon exiting the cave, an awed Picasso declared, "We have learned nothing in twelve thousand years." "

- Cave Paintings in Spain

Now a days we paint anything. Prehistoric artist loved painting animals - horses, reindeer etc. Their subject matter not just anything. We believed their paintings were about hunting, maybe they thought it would improved the chances of a good hunt (if you capture the animals while painting, you can capture it while hunting). But, this doesn't match up as they are not painting the animals they are eating, they painting other animal (mammoths or rhinos, but they are eating goat and deer). Therefore the "hunting" theory was wrong. Prehistoric artist painted in narrow caves, where no one can see them, they are not outside where everyone can see them. Whats more wired is that all prehistoric artists are painting the same thing all around the world and they have no connections. They use squares and circles (which didn't exist in those times), spots and other shapes on top of horses and other animal paintings. 

You need to know how to paint a picture in order to paint it. A picture represents something in the world and someone who has never seen a picture can't understand what a picture is, unless you've seen it before. How did prehistoric artists know that collection of line dots and colors can make something?

South Africa, Darkensberg 

In South Africa, Darkensberg there was also prehistoric art. It was not thousands years old, but was done couple of 100 years ago. The San people were responsible for South Africa's prehistoric cave art. They had strange points in their paintings, like animal heads in human bodies etc.. Their religion was built on traveling to a spirit world, which still happens today, when is someone sick, you go help them in "another" world. Shaman is the leader who performed the ritual. 

The rhythm makes you go into a trance then you fall down to ground unconscious and this is where they supposedly visit the spirit world. There are parallels of the men and the animals dying, the paintings were about their spiritual traces. They are drawing what they see while hallucinating. People were familiar with the visuals they saw while hallucinating - this is how they new how to do 2D paintings.

The cave paintings are nailing down there visions they see when they go into a trance

- Cave paintings in Drankensberg 

Justinian and his attendance - Georgina Zaloumis

Medieval and Byzantine times:

Summary of the times: 

Romans controlled most of Europe. Theodosius split it into western Roman Empire and eastern Roman Empire. Huns, Goths, Vandals and Francs created chaos by constantly fighting and invading Europe. Known as dark ages as not enough time to do art. Many years later Europe had been split into many empires but controlled by the Roman Catholic Church.

Byzantine empire on the other hand (east)

Iconoclasm sought to removal and destruction of paintings and sculptures. Didn't want people to look at physical beauty but spiritual beauty. Churches had veiled Mary but mostly had geometric patterns on walls. Churches are in control, so art often used religion as subject matter. West was a patron of the art because of the church therefore they had more freedom to do art.

Artist became more realistic in portrayal of the world. ( Giotto was known as father of art, starting to move towards naturalism) Romans would bury you in a catacomb. This would accommodate a large number of bodies. This is where Christians would practice their religion. Constantine first Roman Empire to recognize Christianity. Justinian (in brightest clothing and has a halo as he paid for it and smack bang in the middle) 

Put 'maximianvus' In front as he is more important and has his name but can't make him look better as Justinian paid for it. Maximianvus feet are in front but top half of his body is at the back. Justinian and his wife are facing each other.

Title: Justinian and his attendance.

Medium: Mosaic

Period: Byzantine Art (6th Century AD)

Description: Emperor surrounded by his army and members of the church.

Elements of art and principles of design:

Line: Lots of 'definite' straight line(no curve so not feminine)

         Vertical(creates rhythm and movement)

          Vertical lines make figures more prominent, easier to see as church had no                                                                         electricity.

          Figures have been stretched.

Tone: Justinian(main figure) is in dark tone which creates a focal point.

         * Here tone is not used to make 3D dimension

Colour: Very natural, earthy colours

            Lots of gold has been used as it is symbolic of "God" and wealth.

            Purple outfit symbolizes royalty

Shape: Bodies are repeated which creates a sense of harmony

             Bodies are also out of proportion as they are long and elongated

Texture: Not naturalistic, visually quite flat.

             *TESSERAE - tiles(if you had to run your hands on it, would be rough)

Space: Quite crowded

            Feels claustrophobic 

            Flat 

            Confusing as two main figures:

           1)Justinian- arms are in front of Maximianvus

           2) Maximianvus- feet are in front of Justinian

           Has depth as the figures overlap one another

Louise Jennings- seascape by Lara Rabinowitz

1. Kwazulu natal society of art.

2. Ceramics association of Southern Africa and Interpreting ceramics.

3.  Seascape, louise jennings, clay, R1500.

4.  Coil building. The artist stacks long coils of clay, spiraling upward. The artist will then smooth out the edges to create a smooth cylindrical object.

5.  The piece consists of cylindrical mugs and they are glazed. 

6. The cups are very well sculpted, as the heights vary and this gives them a sense of movement. The colours are tranquil and this caught my eye immediately. The different techniques the artist used to create movement throughout the cups and the contrasting shades of blue draws attention go the piece. 

7. Colour. The colours used in the art piece are blues and greens. The colours are used to create a tranquil feeling throughout the piece. The artist also places the lighter mugs on the outside and the two darker mugs in the middle. This creates a focal point for the viewer.

Line. The lines of the cups create a vertical movement.

Texture. There is implied texture by the way the artist paints vertically using darker/lighter colours then the bass colour. The mugs are also painted wit glaze and thus would be given a smooth texture. Therefore there is infact some sort of smooth texture.

8. Yes the artist is well established. She received a highly commended award from the ceramics south Africa.

9. Yes, the cups are placed in a row directly at eye level, the way they are placed draws your eye directly to the first one and then across all of them. 

10. The piece consists of mugs therefore they are able to be used as a utensil

Georgia Gutteridge Kznsa blog

 Art Knzsa

1) Kwa zulu natal society of art

2) interpreting ceramics, ceramics association of southern Africa Kzn region

3) a tall vase sculpted by Garth Hoets: aprox 60cm 

 R 1435

Description: tall narrow vase with figures stoneware

Medium: Reduction fired clay 

4) I think the artists has used the coil method as the coil method can be used to make long cylindrical objects.

5) The shape of the vase is long and as it reaches the top it narrows then curves, the shape of the vase depicts the women on the vase, as the women's body has long legs and a curved waist. The glazed effect adds to the women's physique. Form would be a sculpture.

6) The art piece I chose is very mysterious, because of the mysteriousness i wanted to look deeper into the meaning of the piece, this revealing that the picture of the women imitates the shape of the vase.

7) colour: the colour of the vase adds emphasis to the meaning, the dark brown colour of the vase makes the silhouette women stand out making the curves of the vase stand out.

Form: the main design of the vase is the women so because the vase is tall it makes        me as a women feel powerful and strong.

Line: this artwork is very curvy enhancing the womanly theme.

8) Yes they do,  http://garthhoets.co.za 

9) yes, the artwork has been displayed in its own space with nothing near it this making it the main focal point.

10)yes you can use it as a utensil.

Untitled-Astrid Dahl

Georgina Zaloumis 

1. KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts.

2. The name of the group is KZN Ceramics Association and the the title is "Interpreting Ceramics".

3. 

Title:  Untitled.

Name of artist: Astrid Dahl.

Material: Earthenware (Terracotta) 

Size: 60cm

Price: R20 000

Colour: White 

4. I think the artist has sculpted this by hand, using the pinch pot method, as this piece has a very complex design. It would therefore be rather difficult slab or coil building this design as it has a very intricate shape. She would have used sand paper to sand her piece down so it appears smooth and harmonious. 

5. Dahl's work is an unglazed sculpture made of earthenware(Terracotta). It has an organic shape which is expressive and powerful. From a side glance this piece appears to look abstract and mysterious but from a birds eye view it depicts a delicate flower. 

6. I love the harmony in this piece as it gives it an uncomplicated look to it. Close up the line draws your eye into the piece and makes it look mysterious but from far away you see it for what it really it is, a delicate flower. I chose this piece to study because it was one of the few pieces that really stood out and didn't disappear amongst all the other ceramic pieces as it's at first 'complex design' made it unique.

7. The organic lines as an element of art lead the viewer's eyes towards the focal point and into the intricate design, creating movement. The curves of the line make it feminine and expressive. 

The texture of the piece is smooth(real tactile as it is a sculpture). This makes you imagine how the flower petals would feel. This balances the piece as no particular side overbalance the other.

The geometric space of this piece creates a sense of harmony. This gives the piece an uncomplicated and elegant look as the pattern is repeated.

8. Astrid Dahl is a well established artist as she has own her website which you can view and purchase her work from (http://www.astriddahl.co.za) and she is currently exhibiting her art at the KZNSA.

9. The piece is displayed on a white wooden box in the middle of the room. This enhances the viewing as the piece is a 3D sculpture and this box allows you to have a 360' view of the piece. From a side glance it looks abstract and powerful but when you view it from above it looks delicate. This allows you to see the organic lines that make up the flower.

10. Purely for display.

Visit to KZNSA - Chia Chi Chen

1. KwaZulu Natal Society of Art

2. The exhibition is called 'Interpreting Ceramics' and it was organized by the Ceramics Association of Southern Africa KZN Region.

3. Title: Counting Clouds

Name of Artist: Carol Hayward Fell

Material: stoneware and porcelain

Size: approximately 30 x 20cm

Price: R4170

4. The artist used the slab building method to create this sculpture.  This involves rolling out slabs of wet clay then moulding and cutting it to the desired shape.  The texture for the horse's mane, tail, and the bird's feathers were carved in, while the clouds around the horse were added on.

5. The sculpture depicts a horse with a bird on it's back.  The horse has a pattern of cloud-like shapes around it's body while the bird has feathers. The piece is white and has not been glazed.

6. I really like this sculpture as it is very unique, yet still elegant. I chose this piece to study as the pattern on the horse's body was very interesting and it caught my eye.

7. Colour: The entire sculpture is white.  This creates a sense of harmony in this piece.

Texture: There is real texture around the horse's body (cloud shapes), the horse's mane and tail and on the bird (feathers). These different textures create contrast in the sculpture.

Shape: There are organic cloud-like shapes around the horse's body. The repetition of these shapes creates rythm.

8. The artist is well established, she has a Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carol-Hayward-Fells-Carolart-Studio-her-Ceramics/123707121009712?fref=photo )

9. The piece was placed on a fairly tall stand that I was able to walk around. This enhanced my viewing of the piece as I was able to see all around the sculpture and I could see the details very clearly.

10. The piece is purely for display

Rebecca Campbell

Visit to KZN ceramic exhibition
Rebecca Campbell 10B

1) KwaZulu Natal society of art

2) Interpreting ceramics-ceramics association of Southern Africa KZN region

3) 15Tb. VICTORIA VERBAAN
   Cat with gold leaf
   R5000
   LORRINE DE RICHELIEU4) This piece is most likely coil built. Coil Building is when you take a pliable material (usually clay) then roll it until it forms a long roll. Then, by placing one coil on top of another, different shapes can be formed.

5) This piece is three dimensional and depicts a cats head with a human body. The piece is glazed but there is a texture under the glaze.

6) I find this piece very interesting, the golden cat head drew me to the piece. The pop of gold on the top and paleness on the bottom makes this piece very different.

7) Colour- the colours used are gold and white, the gold head instantly attracts the viewers to the top of the sculpture.
Form- the sculpture is three dimensional. The sculptures length is much longer than the width.
Space- the background is white and clean drawing more attention to the foreground which is  the sculpture.

8) No, the artist does not have a website

9) No, the sculpture is framed and hanging on the wall meaning you cannot walk around and see the back of the sculpture.

10) this piece is for display

KZNSA Gallery - Khevna Rajput

Ceramics exhibition

1). Kwa-Zulu Natal Society of Art

2). Interpreting ceramics

     Ceramics Association of Southern Africa KZN Region

3). Title: Large Plates

     Artist: Rayson Hiyani

     Material: Plates, paints, pencils

     Size: 30cm diameter

     Price: R850

4). The artist had used a method from Kamel Potteries. Some of these included using a pottery wheel. Throwing clay on a spinning wheel is a process where you start off with wet clay and mold it using your hands applying gentle pressure into the shape of a plate.

5). The colours used in this artwork are very natural (browns, shades of black and white).  Value is also used as contrast and enhances the depth of the cows face. The artwork is glazed.

6). This piece captured my attention because the artist had used different techniques by using both pencil and paint to create an unusual effect. The piece showed a sense of harmony and simplicity. I felt that the artwork represented unity. 

7). Colour: the colours were very natural with tints and shades included. A brownish red was used. This is effective because the artist tried to keep it realistic by using brown but he also added some naturalistic effects by adding value and a gloss in their eyes.

     Space: there's some space in the background which creates an illusion of depth.

     Texture: the texture used on the cows look quite smooth and it's glazed hence it feels smooth at the same time. This emphasizes the smooth texture.

8). No, the artist is not very well established and he doesn't have a website.

9). The piece is viewed from a wall which enhances the viewing because it is seen as an artwork for display rather than a utensil.

10). I think it would be reasonable to use it for display purposes but it could also be used as piece of utensil. 

NICOLA MACDONALD - UNDER THE SEA - CERAMICS

NICOLA MACDONALD 

UNDER THE SEA

CERAMICS

1. Kwa-Zulu Natal Society of Art

2. Ceramics Association of Southern Africa KZN Reigion. Interpreting Ceramics.

3. Katuni Naidoo, Under the Sea, Expressive, R1335

4. Coil Building - A hand-building technique employed to create pots.  Clay plastic "snakes" are formed, pushed and pinched to combine them into a pot. Sometimes the artist leaves the coil appearance to achieve a particular affect.  Ceramics created with coil building depend largely on the artist's hand to create the object's form vs. using a potters wheel or mold.  The coils themselves may be defined or smooth based upon the texture of the object or the intent of the artist.  The coil building was used for the coral in the middle and the base of the piece.

5. The Under the Sea piece is glazed. It is 3 dimensional, it has a natural shape with curvy lines. It depicts carol under the sea. 

6. This piece is very detailed and it has a peaceful feel to it. It reminds of the beach and the sea and I love being in the water, so that's why I chose this piece of artwork. I love the pastel colors and the small details on the coral.

7. Texture - the piece has a smooth feel when you touch it because it has been glazed, some of the carol has a bumpy texture to it giving it more of a realistic feel to it.

Color - The piece has light pastel colors which gives it a peaceful feel, like a peaceful ocean.

Line - there are curvy free lines, making it look natural like an ocean, underwater

8. No, they don't have a website.

9.  yes, I would say so as it has a white background and stand so the piece stands out

10. It is a display piece

KZNSA Gallery - Bianca O'Byrne

Bianca O'Byrne 10 E

Ceramics Associations of Southern Africa KZNRegion

1. Kwa-Zulu Natal Society of Arts

2. Interpreting Ceramics, Ceramics Associations of Southern Africa KZNRegion

3. Starry Stallion

Carol Hayward Fell

Stoneware and porcelain

Sculpture

R5 000

4. Other, sculpting

5. White horse with engravings carved into it making it bumpy.

6. I liked the way she engraved the different shapes and all 4 horses making them unique and elegant. The horses caught my eye as it was a simple piece of art amongst a lot of over the top pieces of work.

7. Texture, can give a sense of illusionistic space which gave the sculpture a bumpy feeling as though it were like patting a horse. Texture is creates shadows which makes the horse look more alive.

8. No

9. The art piece wasn't eye catching at first but caught my attention when the other horse sculptures were placed around the room.

10. Purely for display

ceramic exhibition blog questions - nicola van Loggerenberg

Ceramic exhibition blog questions

1) Kwazulu-Natal Society of Art.

2) KZN ceramics association.

3) Title - hair with blue accents

    Name of artist - Lorrine de Richelieu

    Material - hand-molded clay structure

    Size - 25cm in height

    Price - not for sale

4) This piece is a decorative, sculpture piece, and was most probably hand-molded as there are no recurring patterns or shapes and has a completely organic body. The artist would have used different types of stick tools and knives to help with the accents in the piece for example the claws and the ears.

5) A hare is depicted in this piece. The hind claws of the sculpture have been exaggerated a bit to make them look bigger in proportion to the head which is smaller. The colour used is a pale, washed blue colour shared with off whites, which give this peice a rustic feeling as it gives it an old, worn look. The work has also been glazed to give it a finishing shine.

6) I find this piece very earthy and very warm because, the creature depicted is a very lively creature and often used in things like nursery rhymes and stories, which gives  the art matter a very childish aura. I enjoyed looking at this beautiful piece.

7) Shape -the overall body of an art piece. The shape in the hare is a very whimsical one has the hind legs are not really in proportion to the rest of the piece.

Colour - the pallet used on the piece. The colors used are of a blue to grey pallet, and also includes some off whites and some red-browns. Even though the majority of this piece is paint in cool colors the overall effect is very warm.

Texture -the feeling of the surface of the artwork. The piece was glazed therefore it has a smooth shiny texture which gives the finished product a refined,  antique look. 

8) Lorrine de Richelieu does not own any existing websites, however she is often mentioned in reviews about local ceramic competitions and as far as I know is "up and coming". Her work is very admired in these reviews.

9) no I feel this piece was lost amongst the others it was placed with, not because they outshone it, only because in was smaller in comparison. The stand it was held on was also not very high.

10) This piece is purely for display.

Kelly Love KZNSA Gallery W/S

1)What does the initials KZNSA stand for? 

Kwa-Zulu Natal Society of Art

2)What is the name of the group that makes up the whole ceramic exhibition and the title of the show?

Interpreting ceramics. Ceramics Association of Southern Africa KZN Region 

Take a picture of your chosen item. 

3)Document information about the item; title, name of artist, material, size, price etc. 

Horse with detailed "zentangle" on its skin, Artist- Carol Hayward Fell, material- stoneware and porcelain, Price- R5000

4)What methods of making did the artist use, Coil building, Slab building, throwing on a  wheel or other? Describe this method. If you choose other describe the method you

think they have used.

I think the artist moulded the horse out and left it to dry then used a icing gun (for ceramics) to put the fine details on the horse.

5)Describe the piece? It’s form, shape, does it depict anything or is it abstract? Is it  textured, is it glazed? etc.

The shape shows it's an horse, so does it's form. It is not abstract.

6)What are your feelings about the piece and what caused you to select it for study? Explain.

I chose this peice because I could see the hard effort that was put into it. It's not hard on the eye, the smooth white colour of the porcelain lets the bright white pattern stand out.

7)Choose 3 elements (Line, shape etc.); describe the element and how it has been used in the piece and explain its function.

Line- the line is curved creating a sense of size 

Shape- the shapes are all different but clearly show it  is a horse

Texture- the 3D pattern on the horse creates a texture. When touched it's obviously not smooth but still links it to the texture of a horse, lumpy and rough.

8)Is the artist well established? Do they have a website? Record the URL 

The artist is not well established. She has a Facebook account but it only shows her 

paintings not this specific item.

9)Is the way the piece displayed enhance the viewing of the piece? Explain. Can you use the piece as a utensil or is it purely for display? Yes, you can easily walk around the object viewing all angles and sides of the horse. The object is purely for display.

KZNSA Gallery Visit- Swetha Maharaj

The KZNSA gallery, otherwise known as the Kwa-Zulu Natal Society Of Art Gallery were holding a ceramics exhibition- Interpreting Ceramics by the Ceramics Association of Southern Africa KZNRegion.

The ceramics piece that I chose to analyse:




This piece is 109 from Astrid Dahl's White Matter Series, it is a rather large piece made from Earthenware that is selling for the price of R14 170.00.
From the looks of it, it seems that Astrid Dahl used the method of slab building to create this piece, taking slabs of white clay and sanding and carving the shape into them and in some way 'sticking' them together.


This piece is very unique and abstract, with it's unusual shape and glazed finish it doesn't depict anything exactly.
I very much like abstract art, at first it evoked a slight feeling of confusion in me as I was tried figuring out what exactly it was and then only did I realise that the beauty of the piece was only enhanced by the fact it wasn't anything specific. This is why I chose to do my analysis on the piece.
Line- the line in this piece is very curvy and flowly; this makes the piece seem more girly and expressive
Colour- the plain white of the piece enhances the actual piece itself as it doesn't make you concentrate on the colour but quickly grabs your attention when you see it and brings your attention to the piece itself and the shape of it.
Texture- the sculpture was glazed and therefore has a smooth texture, enhancing the piece and making the lines in the piece appear softer.
This piece was displayed alone with nothing very close to it, this enhances the size of the piece and allows us to look at the detail inside and experience it to the fullest.

This piece, much like the rest of Astrid Dahl's pieces are purely for display and cannot be used as a utensil.
More of Astrid Dahl's work can be viewed on her website http://www.astriddahl.co.za

Swetha Maharaj

Trip to KZNSA by Lamis Hassim

Lamis Hassim : Visit to KZN Ceramic Exhibition 

1.  Kwazulu- Natal Society of Art

2.  The name of the group is the Ceramics Association of Southern Africa KZN Region and the title is Interpreting Ceramics.

3. More about the piece - 

Title: Pinched Teapot

Name of Artist: Mary Slack

Material: Stoneware

Price: R300

Size: More or less 15x 30 cm

4.  Coil Building involves the artist creating 'snake like' coils by shaping the medium into long threads and rolling them out. These coils are pushed and moulded to build up the medium and then joining them to form the piece.

5. The piece depicts a white teapot and is slightly more textured in some parts whereas the rest of the piece is smooth and glazed. The extra textured pieces (depicted in blue) look almost net like. This seems to give the piece a more clean and unique look.

6. The reason I chose this piece was that it was seemingly ordinary. From a far it looks as if it is any old teapot but upon inspection you can clearly see the delicate and fine detail in the aqua part of the teapot. The simplistic touch of blue adds so much more to the piece and makes it clean yet extremely pretty and delicate.

7. The elements of art which I have chosen are texture, shape and line. The smooth lines help emphasize the rhythm and movement . The repetitive smooth finish and lines that are created in the teapot helps the piece from easily as curved lines are generally more expressive and even feminine. The open geometric shape creates a sense of harmony and balance in the piece and helps all the elements go well together by making them seemingly flow even though the piece is asymmetrical . The texture in the piece which is smooth and glazed all over except in the blue areas help create a focal point. The focal point being that of the textured area. The netted texture helps draw our eye to the one different thing on the piece.

8. The artist, Mary Slacks seems to be very well established as upon investigation she is 2012 Art Champion Award winner however I could not find a website.

9. The piece is placed on a clear, elevated platform or pedestal which certainly does attract attention to it however it is placed near the wall and due to the fact that it is mostly white in colour, it is easy to miss . The display has therefore not necessarily enhanced the viewing.

10. The piece is fully functional as recorded in the image so is usable as a utensil.

Roman Art by Lara

The Romans made more naturalistic artworks than any previous group of people. The following artwork by a Pompeian painter illustrates this naturalism. 

They  often used art as propaganda, to glorify their empire and make them look superior and create fear in their enemies. 

The following is a Statue showing Augustus of Primaporta.

Not only did the Romans make advancements in statues they also improved architecture were the first people to develop the arch and dome. They discovered that arched objects were able to hold up more weight than a post and lintel system. The dome was later used in many architectural buildings and we use it in many buildings today, thanks to the discovery of the Romans. 

The development of the arch led to the building of bridges and aqueducts. 

Click here

to learn more about arch construction. 

Click here

to learn more about dome construction. 

A 2nd transcript of the BBC series "How Art Made The World - more Human than Human" by Georgie Gutteridge

Egyptians:

the Egyptians depicted humans that had proportions that were more normal, unlike the exaggerated proportions found in the sculptures of the prehistoric nomads. 

http://cdn1.animhut.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/050216_rfoster_mp_his_egypt0048.jpg

The Egyptians aimed to show each part of the body accurately & depict the most recognizable features of the body without it looking weird. 

Human bodies needed to be shown clearly to depict the whole person in their afterlife. 

Despite ancient Egyptian history stretching over 2700 years, their way of depicting the human body never changed - something powerful preserved and controlled this style of the human body. 

It has been discovered that a grid was used to make each and every one of their pictures consistent. 

http://www.legon.demon.co.uk/canon.htm

They did this, not because their brains were hard wired to enjoy exaggeration, but their culture overpowered this impulse & established very strict rules that governed the depiction of the human body. 

Culture is King in this case. 

A transcript of the BBC series "How Art Made The World - more Human than Human" by Georgie Gutteridge

Prehistoric Sculpture 

The range of bodies styles that have been made or drawn by humans throughout history is breath taking.   All images of the body have something in common, they aren't realistic they are naturalistic and often exaggerated in some way or another. 

The two images below from: 

http://www.pbs.org/howartmadetheworld/episodes/human/venus/

The video "How Art Made The World" took us back in time to discover why we draw our bodies so "weird".  At the start of last century, three archeologists found something very important, a figure of a woman that was 25000 years old, near the small town of Willendorf in Austria.

This statue now known as the Venus of Willendorf, was made by nomadic people thousands of years ago.  It is 4 inches high made out of limestone and is now housed  in the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria.  It is worth 60 million Dollars. 

The Venus of Willendorf is very unrealistic and some parts of the body very exaggerated such as the breasts, stomach and genitals. For 20 000 years humans made statues that were exaggerated in this way (parts were bigger than others). 

But why did these artists do this?

The video "How Art Made The World" explains one theory through making comparisons between seagull behaviour and the primitive human brain. Seagull chicks are attracted to sticks that are exaggerated versions of their mother's beaks and in the same way primitive humans were drawn to exaggerated depictions of what mattered to them i.e  the pregnant human female.

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/prehistoricart/

Prehistoric Art- Venus of Willendorf Analysis by Lamis Hassim

After finishing off an extremely interesting movie (BBC - How Art Made the World) about prehistoric art (with some scary music), we proceeded to analyze the Venus of Willendorf.  Otherwise known in our class as "the one with the boobs"

Title: Venus of Willendorf, 11cm

Medium:  Limestone 

Artist : Unknown (I personally picture a hipster caveman) 

Date: Circa between 24 000 and 22 000 BC

Elements of Art: (We can now confidently name them in our sleep)

Line: Curved (or "the lady line"), which makes up the detail.

Tone/ volume/ shading: 3D rounded/ bulgy forms which seem to be more prominent in the front than the back

Colour: Monochrome, warm, brown and natural

Shape: Rounded and organic 

Texture: Bumpy in areas which contrasts to the smooth body

Space: Not much except in the belly button (JM: This was the students' suggestion not the teacher's) - sculpture in the round

Principles of Design: (Even Mrs Martin had to open up google for this one- in her defense it was a very tiring day) 

Focal Point: Breasts/ Stomach

Rhythm and Movement: Curves create some movement and sense of flow, the little bumps in the head create rhythm

Harmony: Fairly harmonious- everything is round and curved as opposed to the head.

Proportion: Exaggerated.

What we have realized is that the Venus of Willendorf may represent a pregnant woman due to the fact that we assume cave woman would have had a very active lifestyle (gathering the berries and whatnot) and probably would have had a somewhat more slender figure.

We assume that this sculpture would not be for worship purposes or represent trances as it is rather small, instead we think it was used as a fertility symbol or charm. Cave woman may have wanted lots of kids as many of the kids would have died either in childbirth or as a result of a disease as there were no medications which also meant labour without anesthetic... May God help them. 

So we are proud to present the new vintage accessory. In a cave closest to you.

Terms and conditions apply.

Prehistoric art - Nicola van Loggerenberg

It started with a mark on the wall. A mark on the wall made by a caveman with a knack for interior design.

http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2013/07/scientists-think-cavemen-painted-while-high-on-hallucinogenic-drugs/

Cave paintings can be found all over the world, but are most common in the European countries like France and Spain. What is intriguing about a lot of the paintings are the advanced shading and colour techniques used (for caveman standard), and sometimes the depictions overall baffle even the most qualified of historians:) 

A lot of the recurring themes seen in the cave paintings are as followed:

- animals look realistic (not stick figures)

- contours of the walls are used to enhance overall painting

- the pictures overlap (could that suggest proportion or depth?)

- Focused mostly on animals (could we assume they did this to tally the animal populace)

Media used:

- mosses

- mat

- hair

- sticks :)

Colors and how they got them:

Brown, red, earthly colors- granulated rock pigments

Red, white- clay

White- bird poo💩

Black -charcoal

Yellow - granulated rock

Analysis

Name of artist: "Grunt"

Name of title: Bison

Date: C15000-12000 BC

Medium: coal, clays, bird poo

Content: bull with big chest and tiny legs

Elements

Line - can be used to define the bison drawing

Shading - defines the different parts of the bison eg, the underbelly

Colour - browns and blacks used to colour the bison

Texture - rock wall has added an element of texture

Shape - the shape of the bison is naturalistic and organic, tends to be bigger in the bust area and smaller in the back.

Space - no deep landscape in the background, not trying to create a sense of depth

BISON

What does every artist have in common? - written by Swetha Maharaj

Elements... What are elements? 

These are things that every artist will use in their art pieces.

The six elements of art are line; shape; colour; texture; tone/form and space....

Lines: Lines can curve

           Lines can be jagged

           Lines can go in different direction

           Lines can also be implied

Different lines make you feel different things. Take the above picture for example, how does it make you feel?

Calm? Relaxed? 

That's because horizontal lines are calming.

-Diagonal lines create movement, they are the action lines

-Vertical lines are rigid

-Curved lines are girly and expressive

-Jagged lines are harsh and aggresive

Shape

Shapes are- geometric/biomorphic or organic

                  - open or closed

                  - 2D

Space

One of the most common ways to create space is perspective

-overlapping

-relative

-atmostpheric

-light

-vertical placement

-linear

Colour

-Primary : red, yellor, blue

-Secondary: purple, orange, green

-Complementary: colours oposite on the colour wheel

-Analogous: neighbouring colours on the colour wheel

Texture

-how something feels

-implied in paintings using different methods to try and make you imagine how it feels

And last, but in no way least (important) is:

Tone/Form

-this is when you become a magician so to speak, this is what you use to make objects on a 2D page look 3D.

So, what is the one thing that all artists have in common, you ask.

The use of these 6 elements of art, to make their piece, for lack of better word, magical.