500 Cups: Ceramic Explorations of Utility & Grace

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clarke, September 18, 2008 (view all comments by clarke)
This is an incredibly helpful book for ceramicists. It is a collection of high quality full color photographs of contemporary ceramic cups, ranging from fanciful to practical. It is not the book for someone wanting to investigate the history, story, or functionality of cups themselves but to see examples of expansions on the design of cups. I think the 500 series is best used as inspirational tools for ceramacists or designers. And for this, I think they're incredibly helpful.

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Melanie, March 6, 2007 (view all comments by Melanie)
I wanted to like this book, you know. I really did.

It's a substantial, heavy book, filled with almost nothing but photographs and I thought that I would happily get a good few hours worth of fanciful entertainment. I read the introduction, all about how practical objects such as the lowly, everyday cup, mug or tea bowl can be made to transcend its workaday essence and become a work of art. So far so good, I thought. The images accompanying the text were of almost unbearably delicate celadon porcelain cups, incised with leaf and butterfly motifs, in soft pastel tints, as well as robust, earthy mugs in rich ochres, rusts and creams by Elaine and Tom Coleman. And as you see the cover image, Shibori Cup by Elizabeth Flannery, is very handsome as well, reminiscent of ancient mediterranean pottery, at least it is to me.

I heard myself ooh-ing and lovingly turned the page. And turned the page. And turned the page again. Hmmm, my delight was not as frequent now as I looked at page after page of dull brown tumblers, strange, misshappen teacups, waffled, scalloped rims and objects that bear only a passing resemblance to anything that might hold liquid. Some were shaped like heads, others cut full of holes. Many sat on what the artists called "saucers", but were more like bricks, slabs of clay or dimpled ceramic bubbles than anything that might hold any spilt tea. And others still were so creepy in their organic-ness, that I found myself grimacing at the thought of having to drink any beverage from them.

Don't get me wrong. I did quite like several of the cups. At least a couple dozen were just lovely. A few I would definitely love to have in my own collection. But maybe I just don't get the concept of art. Especially when it pertains to objects so inherently sensible as cups. I just feel that these can and should enhance the coffee or tea drinking experience. Shouldn't one be just as happy to hold and look at a mug as to sip the delicious hot caffeinated drink it contains? I mean if it's meant to look good...

And maybe that's my problem. As much as I know that appreciation of Art with a capital A is significantly subjective, to me, art should at least look good. Please my senses. But in the case of 500 cups, too many of the offered vessels prompted a negative feeling in me. Hence my disappointment. However, perhaps the featured artists would be just as gratified to have occasioned any kind of reaction in their audience.

In any case, I'll still be looking for other titles in Lark's '500' series. Just looking for pretty objects to dazzle my eye...

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Product Details

ISBN:

9781579905934

Editor:

Tourtillott, Suzanne J. E.

Publisher:

Lark Books (NC)

Editor:

Tourtillott, Suzanne J. E.

Author:

Lark

Subject:

Pottery & Ceramics

Subject:

History

Subject:

Drinking cups.

Subject:

Drinking cups - History - 21st century

Subject:

Crafts-Ceramic Technique

Subject:

STUDY NOTES - SparkNotes

Subject:

STUDY NOTES - Quamut

Copyright:

2005

Edition Description:

Trade Paper

Series:

500 Series

Publication Date:

20050231

Binding:

TRADE PAPER

Language:

English

Illustrations:

all in color

Pages:

408

Dimensions:

8 x 8 in