 | ||
| Norman Arsenault, Studio Potter Extraordinaire | ||
| September 1999 by Bob Jackman |
||
Arsenault was an influential member of the studio pottery movement from 1939 until 1984. In some ways, his influence in the studio era was comparable to that of Adelaide Robineau and Frederick Rhead during the Arts and Crafts period. As a potter, his production was almost as limited as Robineau’s. There are at least 300 of his works extant, and there may be as many of 600. Beyond his own works, Arsenault’s influence was as a ceramics designer, teacher, and consultant. The excellence of Norman Arsenault’s work was acknowledged in various ways during his lifetime. For example, he was chosen in 1939 to be the founder of the ceramics division of the museum school at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He served many years as a judge at the Annual Ceramic National Exhibition held at the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts (now the Everson Museum of Art). Japanese officials invited him to Japan. During the resulting sabbatical in Japan he studied with their National Treasures Kato and Hamata. He traveled to England to consult with Lucie Rie, who was then a little known British potter, but whose work is now widely acclaimed. To fully appreciate Arsenault’s pottery one must recognize that he was driven to stay at the forefront of the movement. His wares were the prototypes that his followers later popularized. The creativity of his work can be easily overlooked by those familiar with later, derived works by others. |
 |
| The heavy walls of this bowl are needed to visually support the deep spiral of clay impressed with a repeated design of an open pea pod. |
|
Arsenault mastered more styles, glazes, clays, and combinations of these elements than other potters of his era. The staggering range of his work can be appreciated when that range is compared to the range of his contemporaries. Arsenault was one of the first major figures to recognize the pottery of Mary and Edwin Scheier. He was a judge at the Annual Ceramic National Exhibition when they first received a national award. After moving into New England, the Scheiers frequently consulted with Arsenault. The Scheiers operated one of the most successful and acclaimed studio potteries in America. Working with several wares, they demonstrated great creativity. Yet the range of their work never approached the variety found in Arsenault’s pottery. By comparison the Sheiers were more wide ranging than most contemporary studio potters. Vermont potter Susan Ballard was a more typical example of a studio potter. Ballard essentially found one ware that worked well both as tableware and for decorative accessories. For most of her career she worked with a single clay and glaze combination. SIGNIFICANCE OF ARSENAULT’S POTTERY The pottery of Norman Arsenault is significant at several levels. First, each piece of Arsenault pottery makes a remarkably unified statement. Each pot is a deeply unified synthesis that rigorously interprets the various elements of Modernism. One group achieves the extreme sublimeness of the Japanese tea ceremony. Another group has the severe geometric quality of Scandinavian Modernism. Still others have the semi-abstract quality of French Post-Impressionists. Each work is a unique conception. Second, Arsenault’s pots are among the most ambitiously conceived and meticulously executed works of mid twentieth century American pottery. At a third level, Arsenault’s pottery can be appreciated as a prototype of work by other studio potters. Some potters attended the museum school specifically to study under him. Others privately sought his assistance with glazes, clays, and elements of style. Arsenault’s pottery was created in a pioneering role. ARSENAULT’S SELF IMAGE Norman Arsenault was driven by his own desire to test his limits, and he worked solely to satisfy himself. He did not worry whether other people were interested. He did not aspire to fame, money, or the esteem of others. If his work satisfied him, then he was happy. Norman Arsenault was a self-effacing man, but he realized that he had a great expertise with glazes. If a speaker referred to him as the foremost expert on glazes in North America, Norman did not dispute the description. He was never content to see a glaze on a test tile. He believed a glaze could only be judged when it was incorporated into a finished pot. For the most part, he created pottery to test the success of his glazes. He created glazes of every type. One of those was a high gloss, brilliant turquoise that was well suited for severe, unadorned modern forms. Arsenault considered his other expertise to be teaching. He saw learning in the big view. He wanted his students to comprehend the integration of all elements of a pot, and he wanted to give them the most current information and styles. By extension, he was compelled to remain current in his knowledge of styles, glazes, clays, and technology. Students remember Arsenault as a master teacher. Although an expert, he was a down to earth man who wore a big smile. He often worked quietly and privately, but in social settings he was a skilled mixer. Several decades later former students marvel that he was so approachable and unassuming despite his achievements. At the museum, Arsenault felt that his role was to openly share information. If a student or visiting potter asked about the composition of a clay or glaze, he freely shared that information. Therefore he never parlayed his discoveries into personal profits. He made his living as a teacher, not as a potter or as a private researcher. It was only after he retired from teaching that he felt free to keep his knowledge private. Norman did not consider himself a commercial potter. He seldom sold his pottery. He never had a storefront and was not represented by a gallery. When he made pottery for a class demonstration, he usually gave the pot to a student. Occasionally patrons of the museum imposed upon Norman or museum officials for a custom item. In those instances, he sold his work for a reasonable prices. ARSENAULT’S ROLL AT THE MFA From 1939 until 1974 Arsenault’s career was based at the museum school of the Museum of Fine Art. He was selected to serve as the founding director of the ceramics division of the museum school. Initially his time was split between young students at the school, the society ladies of the Ceramics Club, and the task of designing kilns for the school. Within a few years the ceramics program was well established. Soon Norman’s reputation as a designer and speaker reached other campuses. While continuing at the museum school, also lectured on architecture and design at Tufts University. He also gave individual lectures at MIT on both architectural design and the artistry of ceramics. Following his retirement in June of 1974, Norman moved to Wells, Maine where he built a kiln house on the back of a barn. However the school retained him as a consultant until his death. ARSENAULT’S MANNER OF WORKING Norman Arsenault was the ultimate planner. As he conceptualized a vessel, he weighed his choices of clay, form, manner of potting, size, texture, glaze, decoration, and kiln management. He conducted an array of experiments until he achieved the desired result with an individual element. When each element was mastered, Arsenault then synthesized the entire pot as he envisioned it.
Arsenault was a meticulous worker. By his day, most potters obtained their clay in slabs, large blankets of wet clay several inches thick wrapped in plastic. Arsenault was concerned with the inconsistencies and impurities of commercial clays. While he found it adequate for use by students, he mixed his own clays from scratch. He also performed chemical tests and recorded the results for each clay that he used. He was one of the few potters to study the effects of a clay’s chemical composition upon the final color of a glaze. JAPANESE INFLUENCE IN ARSENAULT’S WORK During the 1980’s American potters produced vast quantities of pottery with Western forms but in the style of the wares used in the Japanese tea ceremony. From the mid 1950’s to 1970 Norman Arsenault researched the ceramics of the tea ceremony, and produced some remarkable objects. It all started by chance. In the mid 1950’s Arsenault potted two lamp bases that had fascinating subtleties in the shades of red. Although these were not Oriental vases, Kojiro Tomita, curator of the Asian Wing of the MFA, he went into rapture when he saw them. He described them as having “the most beautiful shade of red ever made.” He asked to have the lamps exhibited in Tokyo and Kyoto. He also urged Arsenault to travel to Japan to work with the six National Treasures in the pottery field. Dr. Tomita arranged for Japanese assistance for Arsenault when he made his sabbatical trip to Japan. The president of the Kyoto Art Association who was a relative of Dr. Tomita opened many doors. The son of another relative of Dr. Tomita served as Arsenault’s escort. That man was between college years, and he showed Norman the nation of Japan from one end to the other. When he first arrived in Japan, Arsenault became familiarized with the operation of Japanese potteries by working for three weeks with some good, but not great, potters. He then traveled to Yokahama where he spent one month studying with Kato. He then spent 6 weeks working with Hamata, the most prominent of all Japanese potters. ARSENAULT’S POTTERY IN WELLS, MAINE As Norman approached retirement, he began to plan for a pottery in Wells, Maine. There he built a kiln house attached to a barn. There were two kilns. The kiln for test work had a capacity of two cubic feet. The kiln for producing pottery had a capacity of 12 to 14 cubic feet. To load that kiln, he used a flat car that rolled on rails. He loaded the car outside the kiln, and then rolled the car into the kiln. After retiring from teaching, Norman Arsenault remained extremely active for the next eleven years. He conducted over 2400 glaze tests between 1974 and 1984. Arthritis became increasing severe, and once masterful hands became grotesquely distorted. To look at his hands, you would think that he would have trouble feeding himself. Yet when he went into his pottery studio, a transformation occurred. Working with great focus and for short times, Arsenault was able to throw and work clay to produce absolutely perfect pots. During his two final years Norman Arsenault strove to create a Tourmaline Green glaze inspired by ancient Chinese pottery. He ultimately succeeded in that quest, and he considered his Tourmaline Green glaze to the crowning accomplishment of his career. Only thirteen vessels were created in the Tourmaline Green glaze, but each is exquisite and worth of museum exhibition. Arsenault considered this glaze to be his property, and he felt it did not need to be shared with the world. Following his death on August 29, 1984, the formula for Tourmaline Green was destroyed as he had requested. The Museum of Fine Arts has 12 works by Arsenault in its collection. Bob Jackman is a former antique dealer who turned to write about antiques about ten years ago. Over 400 of his articles have been nationally published in the United States and Canada. He is a graduate of Colby College, Wesleyan University, and the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Copyright © 1999 cyrbid.com Inc |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Web design by DiTa Group, LLC