Plate 2010

This is a ceramic Plate by Hasu Yoshitaka, currently held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. I'm looking at this plate, and I'm thinking it's less about functionality and more about the raw energy of creation. Imagine Yoshitaka, eyes focused, hands coaxing the clay into shape. There’s a delicious tension between control and chance, I think, especially in how the colors bleed and merge. See how that dark pool seems to float on the surface? It’s like a storm cloud hovering over a landscape of ochre fields, giving it a geological feel. The surface is uneven, textured; you can almost feel the heat of the kiln, the bubbling of the glaze. It makes me think about Helen Frankenthaler's soak-stain technique, but here, it’s earthier, more grounded. It's like the plate is having a conversation with the earth.