photo: SAIKI Taku
Large Bowl with Four Guardian Gods: Blue Dragon
| Artist | HAYAMA Yuki |
|---|---|
| Year | 2005 |
| Material/ Technique | porcelain |
| Size/ Duration | H11 × φ46.3 cm |
| Copyright Notice | © HAYAMA Yuki |
| Year of acquisition/ donation | 2013（作品購入年月日：2013/03/25） |
| Description | Born in Saga, Japan in 1961. Lives and works there. Hayama Yuki employs ‘gosai’ (five-colored porcelain) and ‘sometsuke’ (blue and white porcelain) techniques of overglaze painting, originating in ancient China. He is a ‘kogei’ (craft) artisan of consummate skill. His works are classical in that they take the form of large plates and jars, and yet the imagery he paints on them is contemporary in character. His subjects are dragons, ‘shijin’ (gods of the four directions), and other motifs taken from the classics, as well as decorative patterns brought to Japan from Persia and China in ancient times. Working on this basis, he composes his own stories and gives play to them in paintings on porcelain. Hayama stands alone, a rare artist who creates his own world using high-level traditional techniques. "Large Bowl with Emperor Long Sun", a work employing the five-colored porcelain method, was created through mastery of sophisticated ceramic techniques. According to Hayama, the Theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements is a philosophy of profound insight into the world, tracing back to 3000 BC. At the center of this philosophy is an emperor with yellow skin, represented by a five-clawed dragon: a symbol whose use was forbidden. This work – while faithful to the techniques and narrative content of the high-level ceramics of the imperial kilns of China’s Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties – yet combines contemporary Japanese manga-like depiction with a personal story composed by Hayama himself. "Large Bowl with Four Guardian Gods", then, is a series depicting the divine beasts guarding the four directions, using a single color, Gosu blue. Known for its beauty, depth, and transparency, Gosu blue demands high-level skill. The streaming vapors and figures of the four gods are rendered with manga-like exaggeration. This is contemporary porcelain art founded in classical technique. |
NOTES
This Collection Data page contains the works and materials in the collection of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, as of April 1, 2018.
Artists are listed alphabetically by artist’s surname.
Works and materials by the same artists are listed according to the date of the work in principle.
Works whose dates are unidentified are listed at the end of each item. Some works are not listed according to the date of work due to their relations.
The data of works and materials are listed in order of title, production year, material/technique/form, dimensions, donor’s name, copyright holder and credit for photograph.
Dimensions are given by height (H) x width (W) in centimeters for plane work, and height (H) x width (W) x depth (D) in cm for 3-D work. Diameter (Ø) is used for circular work.
For the name of country or city, the name currently used in English is listed in principle.