KishÅtenketsu: Kawase Shinobu’s celadon journey
Bonnie B. Lee
22 NOVEMBER 2021
Bonnie B. Lee writes about the four-part structure from Chinese poetry that informs the ceramics of Kawase Shinobu.
After a half-century in the field, Kawase Shinobu is regarded as Japan’s most outstanding artist working within the ancient tradition of celadon. In this latest dazzling body of work, Kawase moves beyond the Song Dynasty models and showcases his brilliance on the wheel, paired with a command of celadon glazes in a range of luscious and delightfully surprising colors. This exhibition also marks nearly forty years of a fruitful and fulfilling partnership between the artist and Joan Mirviss. It was over this long period that Kawase distinguished himself as an artist who honored historic precedents in celadon while also pushing its limits beyond anyone working in the medium. Seven years since his last solo show in New York, these latest works – flawlessly elegant, and with an easy perfection – attest to his unrivaled mastery of celadon.
