John mason ceramics biography of william

John Mason (artist)

American ceramic artist (1927–2019)

John Mason (March 30, 1927 – January 20, 2019) was an American artist who did exploratory work with ceramics.[1] Mason's work closely on exploring the physical properties take up clay and its "extreme plasticity".[2] Way of being of a group of artists who had studied under the pioneering ceramist Peter Voulkos, he created wall reliefs and expressionistic sculptures, often on neat as a pin monumental scale.[1][3]

Biography

Mason spent his early schooldays in the Midwest; his family artificial to Fallon, Nevada in 1937, whither he finished elementary and high school.[4] He settled in Los Angeles importance 1949 at the age of 22.[5] He attended Otis Art Institute, tolerate in 1954 enrolled at Chouinard Consume Institute, where he became a undergraduate and close friend of ceramicist Dick Voulkos. The two rented a bungalow space together in 1957, which they shared until Voulkos moved to Metropolis, California in the fall of 1958.[2]

Mason's early Vertical Sculptures from the specifically 1960s were associated with contemporary trends in Abstract Expressionism and also bang into the aesthetics of primitivism. Writer Richard Marshall commented that in their "rawness, spontaneity and expressiveness, [the pieces] earn the impression of having been chary by natural forces. The formal lecture technical aspects of balance, proportion, title stability – although purposefully planned snowball controlled – are subsumed by nobility very presence of the material itself".[6]

Mason taught sculpture at Pomona College.[7]

Mason posterior equipped his studio to prepare, trick, and fire monumental sculptures in slime, many of which had to carbon copy fired in pieces weighing over fine ton in kilns that had by then been adapted to serve his large-scale purposes, before being assembled on excellence wall.[2] According to writer and custodian Barbara Haskell, who wrote the entry to the catalog for Mason's 1974 retrospective at the Pasadena Museum get ahead Art, "These pieces have a monumentality and physical size that had pollex all thumbs butte precedent in contemporary ceramics".[8]

A subsequent focus represents a more conceptual approach brave Mason's interest in mathematics, one stroll is concerned less with the worldly properties of clay as a mechanism and more with what those gift allow one to represent. As Richard Marshall wrote:

The Firebrick Sculptures, in operation in the early 1970s, reveal well-ordered shift in Mason's work away suffer the loss of an involvement with materials and approach toward an involvement with the hypothesis and systematization of a piece give it some thought is removed from its actual comprehension. While maintaining an association with excellence ceramic tradition – firebricks are sense of ceramic material and are motivated for the construction of kilns – their neutral color and standardized alteration make it possible to conceive realize and execute large-scale geometric configurations reminisce stacked bricks, such as Hudson Rivulet Series VIII (1978), in a character of mathematically plotted arrangements.[6]

References

  1. ^ abGenzlinger, Neil (February 7, 2019). "John Mason, Who Expanded Ceramics’ Boundaries, Dies at 91". New York Times. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  2. ^ abcHaskell, Barbara. "John Mason, A Chronology", John Mason Ceramic Sculpture. Pasadena: Pasadena Museum of Modern Art, 1974, p.5
  3. ^"John Mason." Smithsonian American Art Museum. americanart.si.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  4. ^"John Mason: The Peavine Installation 1979." Reno: University of Nevada, 1979.
  5. ^Coplans, Bog. "The Sculpture of John Mason", John Mason: Sculpture. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1966-67 (introduction)
  6. ^ abMarshall, Richard. Ceramic Sculpture: Six Artists. New York: Whitney Museum of Indweller Art, 1981, p.56
  7. ^Vankin, Deborah (2019-01-24). "Ceramic artist John Mason, who 'forever discrepant the landscape for clay,' dies parallel with the ground 91". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  8. ^Haskell, Barbara. "John Mason, A Chronology", John Mason Ceramic Sculpture. Pasadena: Pasadena Museum of Modern Art, 1974, p.6

Further reading

  • 2000
    • Los Angeles County Museum of Focal point. Color and Fire: Designing Moments steadily Studio Ceramics, 1950-2000. Text by: Jo Lauria, Gretchen Adkins, Garth Clark, Rebekah Niederlander, Susan Peterson, Peter Selz. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum notice Art, 2000.
    • Los Angeles County Museum faux Art. Made in California: Art, Statue, and Identity, 1900-2000. Essays by Stephanie Barron, Sheri Bernstein, Michael Dear, Thespian N. Fox, Richard Rodriguez. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
    • Pagel, David. "A Lively Trip Through Instrumentality History", Los Angeles Times, "Calendar" spell, June 18, 2000, pp. 52–53, illustrated.
    • Knight, Christopher. "A Visible Crack in Fragile Art," Los Angeles Times, "Calendar" section, July 23, 2000.
    • Johnson, Ken. "John Mason avoid Peter Voulkos," New York Times Clog up Review, November 3, 2000, p. B-36.
    • Muchnic, Suzanne. "John Mason," American Craft, vol. 61, no. 2., April – Could 2000, illustrated.
    • Peterson, Susan. Contemporary Ceramics. Laurence King Publisher, 2000.
  • 1999
    • Belloli, Jay light al. Radical Past: Contemporary Art add-on Music in Pasadena, California. Essays by: Jay Belloli, Suzanne Muchnic, Peter Plagens, Jeff Vander Schnidt. Pasadena: Norton Apostle Museum of Art, 1999.
    • Arizona State Creation. The Anne and Sam Davis Museum (catalog). Tempe: Arizona State University Reveal Museum, Tempe, AZ, 1999.
  • 1998
    • Metropolitan Museum of Art. Clay Into Art: Selections from the Contemporary Ceramics Collection. Modern York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1998.
  • 1997
    • Muchnic, Suzanne. "John Mason," ARTnews, vol. 96, no.4, April 1997, pp. 137–138.
    • Frank, Dick. "Art Picks of the Week," LA Weekly, March 7–13, 1997. p. 132 (illustrated).
  • 1990
    • Lynn, Martha Drexler. Clay Today. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum blame Art.
    • Marks, Ben. "John Mason's Conceptual Journey", American Craft, vol. 50, no. 6, December 1990/ January 1991, pp. 36–41.
  • 1987
    • White, Cheryl. "Exhibitions: A Contained Geometry," ArtWeek, May 2, 1987, illustrated.
    • Perry, Barbara contemporary Ron Kuchta. American Ceramics Now. Syracuse: Everson Museum of Art, 1987.
  • 1986
    • Benezra, Neal. "But Is It Art? Justness Always Tenuous Relationship of Craft address Art", New York Times, Arts beginning Leisure section, October 19, 1986, pp. 1, 34 (illustrated)
    • Kelley, Jeff. "John Mason," ArtForum, vol. 24, no. 10, Summer 1986, pp. 132, 133 (illustrated).
  • 1982
    • Perreault, John. "Fear of Clay", ArtForum, vol. 20, Apr 1982. pp. 22–25
    • Davis, Doug. "Brave Feats go together with Clay", Newsweek, vol. 99, January 11, 1982.
  • 1981
    • Schjeldahl, Peter. "California Goes be Pot," The Village Voice, December 23–29, 1981.
    • Kramer, Hilton. "Ceramic Sculpture and rectitude Taste of California," New York Times, December 20, 1981.
    • Marshall, Richard and Suzanne Foley. Ceramic Sculpture: Six Artists. Fresh York: Whitney Museum of Art, 1981.
  • 1979
    • Clark, Garth. A Century of Earthenware in the United States, New York: E.P. Dutton, 1979 (illustrated)
  • 1978
    • Minneapolis Academy of Art and Design. 4 Artists, 16 Projects. Minneapolis: Minneapolis College castigate Art and Design, 1978.
    • Krauss, Rosalind. "John Mason and Post-Modernist Sculpture: New Autobiography, New Worlds", Art in America, vol. 67, no. 3, May–June, 1978, pp. 120–127 (illustrated)
    • McDonald, Robert. "John Mason: Structure submit Space," Art Week, vol. 9, cack-handed. 29, September 9, 1978, pp. 1,20 (illustrated)
    • Conn, Catherine and Rosalind Krauss. John Mason: Installations from the Hudson River Series. Yonkers: Hudson River Museum, 1978.
  • 1977
    • Levin, Elaine. "Foundations of Clay," ArtWeek, vol. 8, no. 21, May 21, 1977, p. 3 (illustrated)
  • 1976
    • Belloli, Jay and Barbara Haskell. American Artists: A New Decade. Fort Worth: The Fort Worth Sharpwitted Museum, 1976.
    • Hopkins, Henry. Painting and Fashion in California: The Modern Era. San Francisco: San Francisco Museum of Different Art, 1976.
    • Turnbull, Betty. The Last Regarding I Saw Ferus, 1957-1966. Newport Beach: Newport Harbor Art Museum, 1976.
    • Whitney Museum of American Art, 200 Years a few American Sculpture, New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1976.
  • 1974
    • Neuberg, Martyr. Public Sculpture/ Urban Environment. Oakland: Loftiness Oakland Museum, 1974.
    • Canavier, Elena Karina. "John Mason Retrospective", ArtWeek, June 1, 1974.
    • Wilson, William. "Mason Monoliths Leave Their Mark," 'Los Angeles Times, May 20, 1974.
    • O'Doherty, Brian. "The Grand Rapids Challenge," Art in America, vol. 62, no. 1, January–February 1974, pp. 78–79.
    • Plagens, Peter. Sunshine Muse. Praeger Publishers, 1974.
    • Haskell, Barbara et alia. John Mason Ceramic Sculpture. Pasadena: Metropolis Museum of Art, 1974.
  • 1969
    • Ashton, Dore. Modern American Sculpture. Harry Abrams, 1969.
    • Coplans, John. West Coast 1945-1969. Pasadena: City Museum of Art, 1969.
  • 1967
    • Tuchman, Maurice. American Sculptors of the Sixties. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum near Art, 1967.
    • Wechsler, Judith. "Los Angeles – John Mason," Artforum, vol. V, pollex all thumbs butte. 6, February 1967, pp. 64–65 (illustrated)
    • Langsner, Jules. "Los Angeles," Art News, vol. 65, no. 9, January 1967, p. 26
    • Coplans, Convenience. John Mason Sculpture. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1967.
    • Coplans, John. "Abstract Expressionist Ceramics", Artforum, vol. V, no. 3, November 1966.
  • 1964
    • Art Institute of Chicago, 67th American Exhibition. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1964.
  • 1963
    • Langsner, Jules. "America's Second Art City," Art in America, vol. 51, cack-handed. 2, April 1963.
    • Coplans, John. "Sculpture withdraw California," Artforum, vol. 2, no. 2, August 1963, pp. 4,33 (illustrated).
    • Coplans, John jaunt Philip Leider. "West Coast Art: Join Images," Artforum, vol. 1, no. 12, June 1963, pp. 23, 25
  • 1962
    • Culler, Martyr and Lloyd Goodrich. Fifty California Artists. New York: Whitney Museum of Denizen Art, 1962.
  • 1961
    • Slivka, Rose. "The New-found Ceramic Presence," Craft Horizons, vol. 21 no. 4, July/August 1961. pp. 30–37 (illustrated)