Funerary Storage Jar c. 2300

This Funerary Storage Jar was made by the Majiayao people, and sits in the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Just imagine making this jar: the labour, the earthiness of the clay, the sheer physicality of forming a vessel, the early technology needed to fire it. I wonder what kind of brush the artist used to paint it? I'm guessing it was made with a simple tool and some kind of pigment from the earth. The dark geometric shapes flow around the swelling form of the jar, creating patterns. They remind me of birdlike forms, flying, or maybe even spirits departing. The linear bands are so assured and the forms are dynamic. The whole thing feels powerful and considered. What does it mean to live with such objects, that are both useful and yet also totemic? I'm reminded of cave paintings and other early forms of expression. How we’re still drawing on the walls, still telling stories with images. I hope this artist would feel we're still in conversation with them.