Author(s)

Yisha He

Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China.

I would argue that Richard Milette’s object has been influenced by Greek elements to reconstruct its conception. He selected a classic Greek image as his vessel’s decoration. As Liopold L. Foulem describes, “the Greek prototype chosen by Milette for this series is a true-to-life hydra, a generic, stereotypical form used because of its perverse association with art museums and, more accurately, with the study of Greek painting… by using faux Greek, pseudo-restored pots and by substituting the painted narrative of the originals with a well-known contemporary easel painting”. His ceramic vase’s shape is the same with the ancient Greek vase, but it is built of many fragments, and it has obvious seam lines. Milette intends to highlight the damaged pieces, and his works are keenly collected. I believe his works are fine examples of postmodern ceramics (not sure if I got your meaning right here), because even though his image is a completely Greek scene, it cannot be described as a Greek narrative.

Vase Painting, Transformation of Traditional Language, Comparison between China and the West, Ceramic Image Memorial

He, Y. (2021) Narratives on Ceramics. Art and Design Review, 9, 322-331. doi: 10.4236/adr.2021.94028.