Pig still bank c. mid 20th century

This unassuming earthenware pig still bank was crafted anonymously and invites a playful exploration of form and function. The sweeping brown glaze gives the pig character, it seems to have been applied in a flurry, recording a single moment of the maker’s hand. The surface is smooth and shiny, the glaze is like a skin, stretched and pulled around the pig’s plump form. Where the glaze thins, it reveals the pale clay beneath. The color pools around the snout and eyes, giving the face definition. The marks here are so telling, where the glaze appears to have run downwards. This adds to the piece’s charm, it's not a perfect finish, but a record of the maker’s encounter with the materials. The bold swaths of glaze call to mind the elemental brushstrokes of Franz Kline. Both artists share an interest in gesture and materiality. Of course, the pig is a humble object in comparison, but there's a similarity in their handling of the medium, that reveals artmaking as a process and an exchange of ideas across time.