Sake cup (guinomi) c. late 20th century

This sake cup, or guinomi, was made by Eiraku Zengorō XVI, sometime before 1998. The palette is modest, but rich – earth tones meet smoky blacks in this small ceramic vessel. The cup feels like a sketch. Look at the underglaze painting. The marks are direct, and the plant form around the base is a kind of shorthand. There are drips and inconsistencies in the glaze, a reminder that the artist is not trying to imitate perfection. The beauty is in the variation, the way the artist adapts to the material. It's all about touch. If you compare Zengorō’s cup to a work by Lucie Rie, you can see a similar engagement with the vessel as a site of painterly experimentation. Like Rie, Zengorō finds freedom within the discipline of ceramics. Ultimately, art is a conversation, and these artists speak to one another across time and place.