Exuberant Ceramic Figures
A dose of the decorative.
In the past I’ve been prone to the practical and utilitarian side of interiors, and I continue to think of this as a useful canvas from which to build. But I also appreciate the undone quality of an old Italian villa, or the quirkiness of a rambling country home, with layers of a life well-lived. There’s a place between clutter and personality that I like to occupy, where everything has a purpose, even if its purpose is simply to delight.
Not every object in the home needs to be restrained, neutral, or useful—in the practical sense of the word. Some exist to animate a room.
Enter the world of narrative figures. These pieces are often described as whimsical, which feels somewhat unfair. Whimsy implies a lack of seriousness, when in reality many of these works are the result of extraordinary technical skill and artistic conviction. Their makers simply arrived at a different conclusion than the prevailing sensibility of today.
This style of work appears across countries and decades. In Denmark, Bjørn Wiinblad created candleholders, vases, and ceramic sculptures with expressive faces and fantastical motifs. In Vallauris, France, ceramicists such as Jean Derval (and Pablo Picasso) produced sculptural figures that blurred the line between pottery and folk art. What connects them is the willingness to be decorative, with decoration as the primary objective.
These figures serve to break up the banal, introducing a level of unpredictability.
A bookshelf becomes less composed. A mantel less minimal. A table less conventional.
Like most decorative arts, exuberant ceramic figures are best appreciated in moderation. One can be transformative; twenty becomes a habit. This small edit of color-saturated, characterful figures offers a dose of imagination and eccentricity for those willing to embrace the decorative—lightly.
