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木村芳郎 Yoshiro
Kimura
Yoshiro
Kimura

Vessel with Blue Glaze
H11.2 x W48.8 x D45.4 cm
Yoshiro
Kimura
Profile
  • 1946 Born in Ehime Prefecture, Japan
  • Live and Works in Hiroshima, Japan
  • 01 Exhibitions More
  • 02 Awards More
  • 03 Public Collections More

About
the Artist
About
the Artist

To capture the deep, bold blues of the oceans and skies upon the surfaces of his porcelain objects – such is Hiroshima-based artist Yoshiro Kimura’s (b. 1946 –) reason for creation. Deeply influenced by the philosophies behind Zen Buddhism and the Way of Tea, Kimura had travelled to over 47 countries throughout the world during his years in university, and was first drawn to the beauty of clay upon seeing the enigmatic blue pigments of ancient Persian ceramics.
Yet with the memory of witnessing first-hand the vivid colours of the Aegean Sea and the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii, Kimura would be inspired to recreate such natural beauty in his ceramic works. Kimura has received great acclaim for his signature bold hekiyu (blue glaze), with his works being collected by museums throughout the world, including the British Museum, the Musée national de céramique-Sèvres, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the Museo Art Nouveau y Art Déco in Salamanca, Spain, etc.
The artist commonly works with vessel forms, yet what Kimura Yoshiro tries to express is a Zen-like spirituality that brims from the gradations of colour that changes from light to dark blue, in particular as his glaze falls from the top of his works to their bases. Thrown on the wheel, his works feature a blend of porcelain and stoneware clays that help ease the process of throwing large forms. His trademark cobalt blue glaze was developed during his twenties, and with age, Kimura has been able to mature and develop the colours to its current, mesmerising depths, created with multiple layers and consecutive firings of great difficulty. One can also discover linear motifs etched upon the surfaces of his clay bodies, which further accentuate his blues and which add an extra dimension to his objects. Ultimately, Kimura draws upon and limns the beauty of the sky and oceans into his beautiful blues, often affectionately called ‘Kimura Blue’ by aficionados in Japan and the world over.