Toshiko takaezu biography of christopher

Toshiko Takaezu (June 17, – March

Toshiko Takaezu June 17, — March 9, [ 1 ] was an American ceramic artist , painter , sculptor, and educator whose oeuvre spanned a wide range of mediums, including ceramics , weavings , bronzes , and paintings. She is noted for her pioneering work in ceramics and has played an important role in the international revival of interest in the ceramic arts.

Takaezu was known for her rounded, closed ceramic forms which broke from traditions of clay as a medium for functional objects. Instead she explored clay's potential for aesthetic expression, taking on Abstract Expressionist concepts in a manner that places her work in the realm of postwar abstractionism. A remarkable artist and influential teacher, Takaezu is recognized as one of a number of ceramic artists in the s and s who were instrumental in moving the practice of ceramics beyond a commercial trade to become a form of artistic expression.

Takaezu was born the middle child of eleven to Japanese immigrant parents in Pepeekeo, Hawaii , on 17 June Coming from a family of few means, she left high school to support her family. Takaezu did not learn to speak English until she entered first grade. At the age of nine, her family moved to Maui, where her grade school—under the direction of a progressive principal—encouraged students to read and recite poetry and to draw.

It was there that she received her first exposure to the arts. After graduating from high school in , she went to stay with her older sisters in Honolulu , where she worked at the Hawaii Potter's Guild creating identical pieces from press molds. It was there, during World War II, that Takaezu first worked with clay, producing ashtrays and other functional items in press molds.

While she hated creating hundreds of identical pieces, she appreciated that she could practice glazing. Eager to learn more about the lives and careers of artists, Takaezu enrolled in Saturday painting classes at the Honolulu Museum of Art School to [ 10 ] studying with Louis Pohl and Ralston Crawford. Although clay was her primary interest, Takaezu also took classes in design, art history, and weaving.

In the textile program under the tutelage of Hester Robinson, she experimented with natural dyes and plant materials such as banana stocks. These early flat-weave experiments sparked an enduring interest in textiles.