Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Appreciating The Finer Things With Japanese Cloisonne

By Dennis Graham


Artistic expression is a cornerstone of humanity. The ability to look at the world and capture the beauty of it is something that is uniquely human. Now, given the sheer number of people out and about in the world, it would only make sense that each culture has its own way of expressing their own artistic visions, and Japanese Cloisonne is just one of them.

Cloisonne is a type of art. It is typically used to be paint things like jars, vases, and other such finery. Now, the word itself is French, but some of the most famous examples are decidedly East Asian in origin.

Its history in Japan begins in the Meiji era. Back then, the samurai, formerly members of the ruling class akin to the knights of Europe, had fallen far from its pedestal. Many of them were living from paycheck to paycheck, literally since most of their income was a meager subsidy. But one of them decided to do it, through artistic methods. So that samurai then grabbed some enamel from China, and then took the whole thing apart, learning the means through which it was fabricated. Then that samurai started making things of their own and teaching others, leading a boom in the industry and for the country to become a top exporter when it reopened to outside trade less than two decades later.

Cloisonne has a singular use. That would be to make things pretty. Admittedly, a lot of the things that is applied on are well enough without it. It is not as if having pretty flowers on a plate makes the food any more delicious. No, the food will still taster the same. But at least the plate will be prettier.

It is life a coloring book. First, thin wires are used to create the outlines. Then enamel paste is applied for color. Then the whole thing is hit with a little bit of heat then with some polish to make all shiny and pretty.

While there are arts and crafts classes and adult coloring books to help a fully grown human relax with some artistic pursuits, cloisonne still has its place in the pantheon of making things not ugly. First of all, it takes time. This of course means that the artist has to put their focus into it, which can make the rest of the world melt away.

There are going to be some supplies that are needed. First will be the copper bowl or dish or plate or jar. Then some wires. Then some enamel, because the whole thing needs some coloring otherwise there would be no point to it.

Time of course is a factor. This is not a hobby that can be completed in a few minutes. This is something that will require patience.

The thing about human beings is that they are likely the only animal capable of significant abstract thought. They sure as hell are the only animal capable of creating art. The fact is, even when the species as a whole was still in its relative infancy, it was still creating and appreciating art. Paintings scrawled on the walls of cave prove that, as does hollowed out bones that served as rudimentary flutes. Given all that evidence, it can be rightly inferred that man has appreciated the arts for at least a few thousand generations before the modern era.




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