Echoes of the Earth: Ceramics by Toshiko Takaezu

Echoes of the Earth: Ceramics by Toshiko Takaezu showcases the art of America's greatest modern female ceramic artist. Featuring more than 50 of her signature "pots," as Takaezu refers to them, the show highlighted a gift from the artist to the Crocker Art Museum's permanent collection. This book is a gorgeously-produced commemorative catalog of the exhibition. "The Crocker is proud to be the recipient of 32 works by Toshiko Takaezu," said Lial Jones, Museum Director. "This gift represents a complete survey of this significant artist's work joining the Museum's ever-growing collection of international ceramics." Takaezu's signature closed-mouth forms push the limits of the clay vessel beyond the realm of utility. No longer able to contain, her forms lose their utilitarian meaning and communicate as pure art. Her pieces boast diverse and exquisite finishes that include vibrant matte glazes on porcelain in addition to more subdued smoke effects on stoneware in the Japanese anagama tradition. She finds inspiration in nature and geology, both being ageless and ancient, yet her works are distinctly modern. The forms and their surfaces are visceral, like abstract expressionist paintings. Their impact is almost primordial. The close relationship of Takaezu's forms to those of nature is paramount, and the artist's Buddhist upbringing and Zen training pervade her art and life with ideals of restraint, interconnectedness and continuity. Takaezu says it best: "In my life I see no difference between making pots, cooking and growing vegetables. They are all so related. However, there is a need for me to work in clay. It is so gratifying and I get so much joy from it, and it gives me many answers in my life."