Vase 1907 - 1908

Here's a painted vase by Othon Friesz, somewhere along the line, and probably with the use of ceramic paints. Look at the way the figures have been dashed in with confident strokes of dark paint, capturing their forms and gestures with minimal detail. I imagine Friesz in his studio, turning the vase slowly as he works, each brushstroke a quick decision, responding to the curve of the surface and the emerging composition. The paint looks thin, almost watery, allowing the white of the vase to peek through and create a sense of lightness and airiness. The figures themselves have a kind of awkward grace. Like a Matisse, but less sure. Friesz probably wasn't interested in getting everything exactly "right." He's leaving room for interpretation, for ambiguity. The shapes of these bodies are like thoughts, not things, flowing into one another, always changing. It's all part of the conversation artists have, answering, posing questions of their own, pushing the boundaries of what art can be.