Confrontational Ceramics

by Judith S. Schwartz

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (2008)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0-8122-4139-6
Dimensions: 11.25" x 10.25" x 0.85"
Shipping Weight: 3.2 lbs.

This ground-breaking book looks at the use of ceramics as a tool for confrontation, where artists use this ancient and most plastic of media to make provocative commentaries about the inequities of the human condition. It is a massive overview of the ceramic scene from this perspective, showcasing representative artists' work juxtaposed against their statements—to provide the contexts for the issues against which they rail.

This sumptuous art book is very much about how ceramic work is used to confront the harshest of realities. These artists take nothing for granted nor do they accept any condition as merely a fact of life. Their realities are the universal concerns that constitute the flux within which we all swim.

This book is divided into relevant chapters: War and Politics, Gender Issues and Popular Culture. Artists include very well-known, established makers, both alive and dead, such as Grayson Perry, Robert Arneson, Richard Notkin and Howard Kottler, as well as introducing many lesser-known artists working in this area.

This glamorous and radical book displays the work of 228 contemporary artists from 30 different countries, including the UK, USA, Greece, Hungary, France, Israel, Canada, Norway, Italy, The Netherlands, Japan, China, Palestine, Sweden and Estonia amongst others, making it truly international.