Kresge exhibit spotlights ancient Asian ceramics

With vividly colored Chinese pieces from the last millennium in tow, the Kresge Art Museum is out to prove art doesn’t take a vacation during the summer.

Kresge kicked off the semester with a brand new exhibit, titled Silk Road to Clipper Ship.

The exhibit, which began May 3 and runs through Aug. 1, is split into three sections — each of which is devoted to ceramics ranging from the third to 20th centuries. Silk Road to Clipper Ship, which is sponsored by the MSU Asian Studies Center, may serve as an experience of education for some students on campus, according to Kresge curator April Kingsley.

“Students who study subjects of commerce would be interested in the exhibit,” Kingsley said. “It’s a definite must-see for ceramics students as well.”

The first section explores the exchange of ideas and goods between China and Iran on the route that became known as the Silk Road. The second section accentuates tea bowls and wares with black glaze, which became prominent during Chinese Song Dynasty rule.

The final section highlights the aesthetically pleasing porcelains of the Ming and Qing dynasties of China, as well as their Japanese counterparts.

Kingsley said the introduction of cobalt blue glaze found in ceramics throughout the third section provides a historical precedent to the popularity of blue and white wares throughout the civilized world.

“They didn’t have cobalt glaze in China, they learned about it in the near east,” Kingsley said, referring to trade between the Mongols and Central Asia during the 13th century.

“With access to cobalt they developed a blue glaze that became a staple of Chinese export ware, an innovation found in other countries today.”

The end result of such innovations are similarly colorful pieces that many visitors might recognize from their childhoods, said David Greenbaum, professor emeritus in the medicine department.

“I remember seeing these floral prints when I was growing up,” Greenbaum said. “The blue and white is something I’m very familiar with.”

Published on Monday, May 12, 2008