Storage Jar c. 2400

This ceramic Storage Jar was crafted by Yang Shou, and now resides at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The earthy palette of black and tan suggests a direct connection to the materials at hand, to the very ground beneath our feet. You know, making art is a process of layering and responding, much like building this pot, coil by coil. Run your eyes over the surface. The black decoration, applied with a steady hand, creates patterns that are both geometric and organic, like a field seen from above. I’m especially drawn to the cross-hatched circles, each one slightly different, imperfect. In a way this imperfection makes the piece so appealing. Think about how these marks might relate to the wider world, or even the work of someone like Agnes Martin, who also used grids to explore ideas of space and perception. Ultimately, art invites us to look, to feel, and to question. There is a constant conversation of ideas throughout time.