View of the Distant Sea II Artist: Fukami Sueharu (Japanese, born 1947)

1980–85

Asian Art

On view, 2nd floor, Asian Art

Representing a wave about to break, this sculpture starkly differs from the functional ceramics made by traditional Japanese potters who worshipped unglazed clay, its tactile qualities, and the accidental effects produced by wood-fired kilns. Fukami challenges this tradition by using electric kilns to control the firing process, by using molds to cast his creations, and by applying high-quality glazes with subtle variations in density. The sharp edge of the sculpture wavers slightly; the gentle curve and subtle irregularity soften and enliven the severe geometry of the piece. Born into a family of potters, Fukami melds an interest in horizons and powerful forms with delicate green glazes that allude to Chinese ceramics of the Southern Song dynasty, creating distinctive pieces.

Medium

Molded porcelain under green glaze

Dimensions

8 1/2 × 42 15/16 × 2 1/4 in. (21.6 × 109 × 5.7 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Molly and Walter Bareiss, B.S. 1940S

Accession Number

1999.9.32

Geography
Culture
Period

Showa era (1926–89)

Classification
Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance

Provenance

Molly Bareiss (1920–2006), and Walter Bareiss (1919–2007), Greenwich, Conn.; given to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 1999
Bibliography
  • Matthew Monteith, "The Explainers," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin (2013), 64–65
  • Sadako Ohki, "Japanese Art at Yale," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin (2007), 41, fig. 8
  • Fukami Sueharu, Genesis of a Genius: The Early Ceramics of Fukami Sueharu, exh. cat. (Hanford, Calif.: Ruth & Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art at the Clark Center, 2003),
  • Sadako Ohki, Twentieth-Century Japanese Ceramics at the Yale University Art Gallery: The Collections of Molly and Water Bareiss, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2001), 2, 10, 15, no. 34, fig. 34
Object copyright

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