The Research On Japanese Ceramist Fukami Sueharu's Works

Fukami Sueharu, the creative ceramist in modern Japan, was born in ceramic family and showed great talent in arts. He focuses on Chinese traditional ceramic art as well as western art. During his ceramic art career, he used clay in the early stage while then gradually began mix use of porcelain clay and green and white glaze since 1970s and 1980s. In addition, he was devoted to creating large abstract green glazed porcelain works and works that were created in 1990s became his masterpieces. This period also witnessed Fukami reached an unprecedented level in terms of material research and application. Exploration on porcelain clay's plasticity and pursuit for large scale works well indicated Fukami's unique style got increasingly mature. Works, whether utensils or porcelain, are all characterized by pure, ethereal and concise features, thereby opening up a new field and direction for modern ceramic art. This paper is directed toward revealing an important type and style in modern ceramic field by interpreting Fukami's creative process and outcomes.The paper is divided into four parts. Part one starts with reviewing the cultural background of his creation. It explores the influence of Clay Association and modern western ceramists, especially Carlo·Zauri, whose large ceramic sculpture significantly affected Fukami. Part two sorts out his creation phases. In the early phase, he used clay as the main material, which indicated a powerful impact of Clay Association' s campaign. This period witnessed that most works were potteries. In the mid-term, green glazed porcelain is used as the only media when he explored material properties and unique aesthetics. In the late phase, he began to challenge large green glazed porcelain sculptures, shocking audiences with extremely tension of the size and purity and perfectness of materials.Part three describes his works'technique features and finalizes with detailed interpretation of artistic features. The author hopes to further broaden our new thoughts and understandings on modern ceramic art through exploring Fukami's green glazed porcelain sculptures.