Bowl

Glen Lukens

ca. 1940–50 · Stoneware · The American Wing

American ceramists continued to explore new directions, especially in the years immediately preceding and following World War II. Just as painting and sculpture of the 1940s broke new boundaries, moving into daring abstraction and more aggressive approaches to process, so too ceramists took ever greater liberties. Glen Lukens, who headed the ceramic program at the University of Southern California, exemplified this new approach to materials. He championed going into the desert with his students, searching for raw substances such as borax and alkaline materials. This plaque typifies his bold, elemental approach. The clay is rough and porous-looking, and the heavy pool of crazed glaze looks as though it was poured somewhat unevenly.

Artist

Glen Lukens

Date

ca. 1940–50

Medium

Stoneware

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Martin Eidelberg, 2020