In Search of German Ceramic Histories

Although, by the 20s and 30s, many traditional pottery manufactures across Germany had closed down; many were still operating.  These, combined with the system of apprenticeship  which they supported and the teaching colleges that offered courses in industrial ceramics,  ensured the preservation and the extension of the necessary skills and knowledge required by those industries to evolve. After the war these regional training infrastructures stimulated the creation of new studio potteries & manufactures, and ensured the continuation of centuries-old traditions on a renewed aesthetic and technical bases.  Thus,   Wim Muehlendyck  and  Elfriede Balzac-Koop  settled in the salt-glaze stoneware area of Westerwald, which they re-interpreted in a modern vein; while  Rudi  Stahl , and Elke & Elmar Kubicek , re-interpreted the tradition of Hörh-Grenzhaussen .   Walburga Kuelz, Ruth Koppenhoefer set up   in the area betwe...

The ceramic revival that took place in Germany during the post-war years owes much to the  Bauhaus;  in particular its focus on students mastering traditional hand-throwing techniques (till they became 'second nature'); then on applying these skills and knowledge to the design of beautiful, functional objects for daily use -  pitcher, tea & coffee pot, plate, bowl, etc. - that achieve a synthesis between  modernity  and  tradition.  Although the Bauhaus advocated designing ceramics for industrial production, many German potter who set up studios and workshops chose to  produce objects of daily use by hand; albeit in series. Hence the presence of serial numbers incised next to signatures: to enable shops to re-order and to ensure continuity. This conferred upon German ceramics a distinctive craft quality: the persistance of the ‘hand-made’ at the heart of its production, in an increasingly industrialised world.  The ceramic unit at the Ba...

A look at four jugs made between the 30s & the 50s shows a rigorous formal structuring of the vessel into its constituent part: All four were hand-thrown; but each offers a distinctive interpretation of the jug.  From left to right: an unsigned piece (inspired by traditional rural pottery), Louise Duncker, Paul Dressler, Louise Duncker. All, however, display a touch of modernity in their interpretation of the jug. None could be described as a  pastiche . Even in the most traditional artefacts one notes a touch of Modernity that infused the works. If we look at a wider range of design spanning over the next decades we note of broadening of approaches as well as the persistence of traditional forms: Over the same period we note a new turn in the adoption of stronger color glazes that accompany the emergence of Modern forms: either hand-turned (L to R: 1 to 4)  or cast (5): Thus,  Eva Kumpman (below, left) adopts a traditional form, which she updates, and presents...