Vase with a landscape with trees and mountains c. 1900 - 1930

Editor: This is a ceramic vase, titled "Vase with a landscape with trees and mountains", probably made sometime between 1900 and 1930 by Aoki Mokubei. It feels both antique and strangely contemporary, with these almost dreamlike mountains rendered in dark blue and green. How do you read a piece like this? Curator: Dreamlike is a perfect word. It reminds me of old Chinese landscape paintings, Shan Shui – you know, mountains and water – but translated through a uniquely personal lens. Notice how the colors are muted, almost as if filtered through memory. And the landscape isn't trying to be literal, is it? More like an echo of a feeling, like when you half-remember a place from childhood. What emotions does that evoke for you? Editor: Definitely nostalgia, maybe a bit of melancholy? The colors, you’re right, do have that faded quality, like an old photograph. And there's something about the way the mountains and trees are suggested, rather than explicitly drawn, that feels very internal. Curator: Exactly. The ceramic medium is itself interesting; it has a timeless quality that further enhances the sensation. But Mokubei isn’t just blindly imitating. It’s as if he's distilled centuries of landscape tradition into a single, evocative object. He’s playing with memory, history, and the physicality of clay, like a poet plays with words. It is very evocative. Editor: That’s fascinating! I was so focused on the landscape aspect, I hadn’t really considered the ceramic itself contributing to the emotional impact. Curator: Art is such a cool thing, right? How do you feel, now, stepping back and taking in our discussion? Editor: I definitely see more than just a pretty vase now. The dreamlike quality feels more deliberate, intentional, and deeply rooted in both tradition and personal feeling.