A Thesis Presented to
The Faculty of Alfred University
Vessel for Thought by
Amber Conrow
In Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for
The Alfred University Honors Program
2019
Under the Supervision of:
Chair:
Dr. Meghen Jones
Committee Members:
Caitlin Brown Jason Green
Acknowledgements
I would like to take a moment to thank those who helped make this thesis possible.
Firstly, I’d like to thank my committee members, Dr. Meghen Jones, Caitlin Brown, and Jason Green. I couldn’t have done it without all their help and guidance. Secondly, I thank my studio professors Linda Sormin, Linda Sikora, and John Gill for their feedback and mentorship on my artwork. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Julianna Gray for her patience and encouragement throughout the process of conceiving this thesis and Susan Kowalcyzk for her generous use of the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum at Alfred University archives.
The exhibition Vessel for Thought was conceived through a combination of art history research as well as an interest in the ways that people connect with each other. This thesis is inspired by ancient figures, Moche vessels, and my artistic interpretation of what empathy looks like in human beings.
Historical Context of Early Ceramics
The earliest known ceramic objects are models of human figures; this demonstrates that early humans had interest in depicting themselves. The oldest ceramic object ever found, the Venus of Dolni Věstonice of 26,000-24,000 BCE, from what is now the Czech Republic, is a
remarkable example of a ceramic figure (Image 1). It has exaggerated body proportions, with the organs associated with reproduction being specifically emphasized. Also, there is a lack of distinctive facial features, and the arms and legs look too small for the body. Archaeologists and others dispute the meaning of the figure. Some believe the that it was a fertility fetish while others theorize that the woman was modeled because she was considered attractive at the time for her plumpness, since that was considered healthy and advantageous.1 The body of this figurine as well as its two interpretations inspired the thought process behind several of the artworks in Vessel for Thought and the physical traits of most of the pieces in the entire group.
Thousands of years closer to present time in what is now northern Peru, the Moche (1st to 8th century) were a settled civilization that capitalized on the creation of ceramics in the form of human figures. Often, these figures would be dual-purposed as jars or pitchers with the figure as the outside form or incorporated within a ceramic container. The work of the Moche is especially intriguing because of this duality. The Moche seem to have made them as both sculpture and
1 Alan F. Dixson and Barnaby J. Dixson, "Venus Figurines of the European Paleolithic: Symbols of Fertility or Attractiveness?" Journal of Anthropology (2011): 1-11. 10.1155/2011/569120
pottery, refusing to draw a line between the two. Instead, they embraced both the figure and pot as one object and purposely attached the two together as in image 2 where the bust and arms of a figure are attached to the globular body of a vessel. There are a couple reasons for this melding together of the modeled and molded pieces, ritualistic purposes being the chief one. The Moche believed that if they buried the likeness of a human with a corpse, the spirit of that ceramic likeness would serve the deceased in the afterlife.2 It is this concept of a vessel having a spirit that drove the thought behind my works.
In Moche ceramics, the piece is not simply a pot or a figurine, it is both, and they become one together physically. Several of my works are inspired by the innovative vessels of the Moche that incorporate figure and vessel in one attached form (Images 4, 5, 6, 7). They are a study of vessel as vessel and body as vessel and are reactions to the idea that humans are living, breathing vessels that have shaped the world around us. I’m interested in the notion that humans are their own vessels, carrying around the organs necessary for their survival. However, it seems that the vessel we call human has more of an impact on the world than any other vessel has and this musing lead me to the conception of these works. The Moche idea of having two seemingly different objects or figures together intrigued me and drove the decision to combine pot and figure as well as figure and figure in my work. This process created a hybrid within my artworks that was driven by the ideas of people born thousands of years ago.
It is within this background of ceramics history that this body of work shown in the exhibition was born and inspired. Vessel for Thought is an exhibition that conjures the spirit of
2 Richard W. Keatinge, Peruvian Prehistory: An Overview of Pre-Inca and Inca Society (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996)
early ceramic renderings depicting the human figure with my reflections on what it is like to be a part of a human relationship in this day and age.
The Process
Telling a Story
Once there was the basis for the exhibition’s inspiration, the challenge was how to bring historical elements into work that would allow me to depict the narrative that I wanted to insert.
This work is rooted in my fascination with interaction between people and how different moments have different impacts on people. The historical works that were my inspiration broadly followed this idea of connection due to the ancient uses that the ceramics served. Most of the Moche ceramics found today were a part of a ritual, most being funeral rituals.3 Within these rituals were moments commemorating the bonds that the deceased had with the living, each bringing out memories of times spent with each other. Each sculpture in the exhibition is inspired by a moment in time or story that close companions have disclosed to me. These stories are about times when my companions have relied on the help of others or have helped others.
The amount of support needed ranges from the need for a hug at the end of a long day, as in Entangled, to the comfort of companionship after the loss of a loved one in Untitled #8 (Image
14, 15). For Mom is a story of mother and daughter and the affect that mothers have on their offspring (Image 12). The other works have their own personal stories about support behind them as well.
3 Kayeleigh Sharpe, “Iconography for the Living or the Dead?: New Perspectives on Moche IV-V Ceramic
Iconography, North Coast.” (MA Thesis, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2005), 70-77.
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/415/
Touch
I chose to incorporate those moments into a narrative about both the evolution of human emotions and the timeless connections that humans are wired to make. Feeling the emotions of others is how I forge connections. Therefore, empathy is a central theme in these works. Each small gesture depicted is loaded with information about the relationship and the people themselves. The idea is that the audience’s own life experiences may be reflected in the work and interpreted in different ways, creating many different views about what these works symbolize and what the story behind the pieces are. For example, works that have interactions between two or more figures confront the different degrees of separation, touch, and emotion that each figure brings to the other(s). The degrees of separation are there to make the viewer feel the tension and depth of the moment.
The Feminine
The historical background of the process played a role in the creation of each piece. The sculptures themselves share some common characteristics that can be traced back to historical inspiration. The sculptures are stylized versions of human anatomy that relate to the earliest figure forms that have been uncovered. The enlarged hips and thighs, minimal detail in the face, and distorted breasts, buttocks, and arms are all aspects of the work in the exhibition that were directly inspired by characteristics of ancient figurines.
Early figurines were often women because of fertility rituals or the important role of women in survival and in religion. The works in this exhibition were conceived of as women in
part because of those early pieces.4 My works are also mostly women because of the role that females play in the sustaining and growth of the human population. Some pieces are more obviously referring to a maternal figure, such as For Mom, and the impact that that figure has on the next generation of humans (Image 11). The others are not maternal, however, and instead draw from feminism. Those pieces promote the idea of empowered women and show them as strong characters. The ceramic material’s permanence and weight is meant to mimic the emotional strength of empowered women. Also, the depiction of the figure holding a heavy vessel in some of my works also contributes to the appearance of strength in each of the female figures. These pieces are for the celebration of female friendships and relationships, as well as the precarious path women travel down together in human societies across the world.
The figurative sculptures of Louise Bourgeois also inspired my work particularly in terms of her exploration of the feminine psyche and body.5 Her abstracted depictions of feminine themes in the post-war period greatly influenced my need to make work that honors the contribution women make towards society. Her piece entitled Nature Study illustrated her
emotional journey through life as a woman and the effects of a loving maternal figure (Image 3).
I admire the statements made throughout her lifetime about the importance of empowered women. These concepts played a large role in the creation of my own work.
Another artist that inspired my pieces subject-wise is Jennie Jieun Lee. She makes
abstracted, emotional busts out of porcelain and then surfaces them in bright colors that appear to drip down the figure’s face (Image 4). The contortion of the anatomy is part of the inspiration for the stylistic forms in Vessel for Thought.
4 Heather Pringle, “New Women of the Ice Age”. Discover 19, no. 4 (April, 1998): 62-69.
http://ezproxy.alfred.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/205992071?accountid=8263.
5 Elyse Speaks, "Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010)." The Sculpture Journal 19, no. 2 (2010): 244-248.
http://ezproxy.alfred.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1320347242?accountid=8263.
Material, Form, and Surface
The plasticity of clay, how it is naturally created by the earth itself, and the process it must go through to survive as an artwork are vital to my artistic process. The freedom to make sculpture is what initially drew me to the medium of clay. These sculptures were created by a coil building technique as well as modeling. Some of the pieces have been cut off at certain points on the body, representing multiple kinds of inabilities that leave people without the power to support oneself in one way or another. The lack of an arm, calves, eyes or any other
anatomical anomaly is not a literal disability but a symbolic lack of mobility without the help and support of others. The segmentation of the characters is an indication of an inability to do
something without that help from others.
The surfaces in this exhibition are made to represent the emotional aura of the moment depicted according to the mood of the stories they are based on. For example, Untitled #8 has a somber coloration and surface finish because it is based upon the story of the death of a loved one and the support of a friend (Image 15). Another example is Fall Out, representative of the burden of finding a way around the world alone for the first time (Image 5). The streaky surface indicates the hesitancy and panic behind that journey, and the darker value of the pot represents the weight of the burden in comparison to the weight of the figure. On some of the pieces, the surfaces disguise the ceramic background and transform the piece’s finish into materially ambiguous surfaces. Ambiguity is important in pieces whose relationships seem more obvious.
In Meld and Story Time the different colors and values give the pieces a depth that resembles the layers of a person and their story (Image 10, 12). Also, the shared color when one figure is in
contact with another is meant to emphasize connection and illustrates the release of endorphins that occurs when people are in physical contact (Image 8, 9, 14, 15).7
Conclusion
Overall, Vessel for Thought unpacks the idea of positive relationships and emotional connection between people through an understanding of historical ceramic figurines. This
exhibition also studies the literal and metaphorical connection between modern day humans. It is important that my work is envisioned through the lenses of both art history and contemporary sculpture.
7Dunbar, R. I. M. “The Anatomy of Friendship”. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 22, no. 1(2018): 32-51.
10.1016/j.tics.2017.10.004
Bibliography
Cooper, Emmanuel. Ten Thousand Years of Pottery. London: British Museum Press.
2000.
Dixson, Alan F., and Barnaby J. Dixson. "Venus Figurines of the European Paleolithic:
Symbols of Fertility or Attractiveness?" Journal of Anthropology (2011): 1-11.
Dunbar, R. I. M. “The Anatomy of Friendship.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences (2018): 32- 51.
Keatinge, Richard W. Peruvian Prehistory: An Overview of Pre-Inca and Inca Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
Pringle, Heather. “New Women of the Ice Age.” Discover. (April 1998): 4-7.
Sharp, Kayeleigh. “Iconography for the Living or the Dead?: New Perspectives on Moche IV-V Ceramic Iconography, North Coast”. MA Thesis, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2009.
Speaks, Elyse. "Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010)." The Sculpture Journal 19, no. 2 (2010):
200-248.
Images
Image 1
Venus of Dolni Vestonice 29,000-25,000 B.C.E.
Earthenware 4.4 x 1.7 in.
Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic
Image 2
Untitled Vessel, 500 C.E.
Earthenware, slip 8 ¾ x 7 x 7 ¼
Krevolin Collection at the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum at Alfred University
Image 3
Louise Bourgeois Nature Study, 1986 Bronze, Patina
15.20 x 25.40 x 17.80 cm Tate and National Galleries of Scotland
Image 4
Jennie Jieun Lee Queen Bee, 2015 Stoneware, Glaze 6 x 3.5 x 3.75 in
Martos Gallery, New York, NY
Image 5
Amber Conrow Weighed Down, 2018.
Stoneware, Glaze 2 x 1 ½ ft
Image 6
Amber Conrow
Burden #1, 2018.
Stoneware, Glaze
1 x 1 ¾ ft
Image 7
Amber Conrow Burden #2, 2018.
Stoneware, Glaze 1 x 1 ¼ ft.
Image 8
Amber Conrow
Burden #5, 2018.
Stoneware, Wood Fire
1 1/8 x 1 ft.
Image 9
Amber Conrow
Burden #7, 2018.
Stoneware, Glaze, Paint
2 x 1 ½ ft.
Image 10
Amber Conrow Meld, 2019
Stoneware, Glaze, Paint 11 x 8 in.
Image 11
Amber Conrow Fall Out, 2019.
Stoneware, Glaze, Paint, Water 1 x 1 ½ ft.
Image 12
Amber Conrow For Mom, 2019.
Stoneware, Glaze 12 x 5 in, 8 x 4 in.
Image 13
Amber Conrow Story Time, 2019.
Stoneware, Glaze 3 x 11 in.
Image 14
Amber Conrow Entangled, 2019.
Earthenware, Glaze 12 x 8 in.
Image 15
Amber Conrow Untitled #8, 2019.
Stoneware, Glaze 11 x 19 in.
Image 16
Amber Conrow Walk with Me, 2019.
Earthenware, Paint 3 ½ x 4 ft.
