Tsuboshima Dohei 坪島 土平 Japanese, 1929-2013
H9.9 x Dia 33.5cm
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Born in Osaka, Tsuboshima Dohei followed the unconventional path of a potter by finding apprenticeship and study under the salaryman-turned master potter, Kawakita Handeishi from 1946. Kawakita’s unconvenintality, as a poet, potter, painter, and calligrapher foregrounds Tsuboshima’s style. Tsuboshima himself developed a great sensitivity to image and composition on 3 dimensional surfaces, staying true to Kawakita’s legacy. In this bowl, for example, he depicts using painterly strokes, a heron by a riverbank. The dynamic and light-handed swoop of the reeds frame the silhouette of the freshwater bird delicately, creating an air of lightness and ephemerality in this octagonal bowl. The form, too, is wholesome.
Throughout his life, Tsuboshima was able to master a variety of clay styles and techniques, including Shino, iron overglazes, as well as a mastery over showcasing qualities of clay in his Iga and Shigaraki wares.