A remarkable diversity of techniques are used to treat the ceramic surface. Matthias Ostermann presents an exploration of the ceramic surface--focusing on the vessel and platter--that includes the nonfunctional, the metaphoric, the narrative, and even the sculptural. Through an examination of the works of 200 ceramicists from around the world, he provides a broad overview of contemporary techniques and approaches.

Ostermann covers a wide variety of techniques for making, decorating, and firing, as well as the full spectrum of clays and firing temperatures. Each image is accompanied...

The Ceramic Narrative is an exploration of past and present ceramic iconography concerned with the depiction of narratives, or with images meant to be thought-provoking, beyond the merely decorative. The book is beautifully illustrated with an extensive variety of work from history and the present day, showing how many contemporary artists continue this tradition with modern interpretations.

Examining ancient Greece, the ceramic imagery of the Maya culture, the ceramics of China, Persia, and Japan, European tin-glaze traditions, and the narrative imagery appearing on later...