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Asian Art
Artist: Fukami Sueharu, Japanese, born 1947
View of the Distant Sea II
1980–85
Molded porcelain under green glaze
8 1/2 × 42 15/16 × 2 1/4 in. (21.6 × 109 × 5.7 cm)
Gift of Molly and Walter Bareiss, B.S. 1940S
1999.9.32
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.
Geography:
Japan
Status:
On view
Culture:
Japanese
Period:
Showa era (1926–89)
Classification:
Sculpture
Provenance:
Molly Bareiss (1920–2006), and Walter Bareiss (1919–2007), Greenwich, Conn.; given to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 1999
Bibliography:
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.
Sadako Ohki, “Japanese Art at Yale,” Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin (2007): 41, fig. 8.
Matthew Monteith, “The Explainers,” Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin (2013): 64–65.
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).
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 such records is ongoing.