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Osamu Suzuki (ceramist)

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Osamu Suzuki (鈴木 治, Suzuki Osamu) (1926-2001) was a Japanese ceramicist and one of the co-founders of the artist group Sōdeisha (eng. "Crawling through Mud Association"), a Japanese avant-garde ceramics movement that arose following the end of the Second World War and served as a counter to the traditional forms and styles in modern Japanese ceramics, such as Mingei. Working in both iron-rich stoneware and porcelain, Suzuki developed his style considerably over the course of his career, beginning with functional vessels in his early work, and spanning to fully sculptural works (which he called "clay images") in the latter half of his career.[1] Suzuki has been described by The Japan Times as "one of Japan's most important ceramic artists of the 20th century."[2]

Early Life and Education

Suzuki was born on November 11, 1926 in the Gojo area of Kyoto, a historic arts area in which a number of influential ceramics artists, including Kiyomizu Rokubei, Ogata Kenzan, and Kawai Kanjirō had worked and established studios. He became familiar with ceramics from a young age, as his father, Ugenji Suzuki, was a lathe master and production potter at Eiraku Zengoro Studio.[3]

Suzuki studied ceramics and graduated from the ceramics department of The Kyoto Second Industrial School in 1943, just avoiding conscription in the military during the Second World War.[4]

Later Life and Death

In 1990, Suzuki became Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Kyoto University of the Arts. He retired in 1992 and became an Emeritus Professor. In his final years, he received a number of awards recognizing his lifetime of achievement as an artist and innovator, including designation as a Person of Cultural Merit in Kyoto in 1993.

Suzuki died of esophageal cancer on April 9th, 2001.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Clay Image: The First Branch (Deisho: Saisho no eda)". Japan Society Official Website. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  2. ^ Yellin, Robert. "Crawling through the Mud in Style". Japan Times. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  3. ^ Matsuo, Amiko (2014). "Suzuki Osamu, Sodeisha and Ceramic Identity in Modern Japan". Ceramics: Art and Perception (96): 4–5.
  4. ^ Cort, Louise Allison (December 2004). "Crawling through Mud: Avant-Garde Ceramics in Postwar Japan". Studio Potter. 33 (1).
  5. ^ "鈴木治 (Suzuki Osamu)". Tobunken (Tokyo National Reseach Institute for Cultural Properties). Retrieved 30 April 2023.


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