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Magazine
Article 1961/September
“Pottery World Magazine” by Stangren This
article must have been written while Bjorn
was on a trip to the U.S. as the photos included in the
article were take in New York by Stangren.. |
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the
whimsey
of bjorn
wiinblad
By Stangren
Wonderful,
wonderful Copenhagen. The song always brings back pleasant memories of my
visit to Denmark. And when I think of the fun-loving Danes with such a
great zest for living and an imaginative streak that runs through their
veins I think of the whimsical potter of Bjorn
Wiinblad.
He, above all Danish potters, is the epitome of good humor,
contemporary in feeling, yet with the romantic 18th century
joie de vivre that disregards all that is unpleasant in our world.
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| Bjorn Wiinblad
was born in Copenhagen September 20, 1918. He studied at the Royal
Academy of Fine Arts. Rosenthal China of Germany and Nymolle Pottery of
Denmark are among the more famous companies that commissioned him to
design for them. His works can be found in museums all over Europe. He has
also designed scenery for the Royal Danish Ballet and illustrated books
and posters. He now resides twelve miles outside of Copenhagen in the town
of Hjortekaer. |
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The Troubadours
What young Danish damsel could reject such
masquerading musicians? Notice the wonderful little basket shaped vases
turned upside down for hats, a flat triangle for a nose stuck on a ball
shaped head; gooshed-up clay used for a foliage effect and the tubular
quality of the musicians’ bodies gives the feeling that Wiinblad
threw the parts of each figure on the potters wheel and stuck them
together with slip. A simple opaque gloss glaze, textured with tiny
specks, allows a sufficient amount of the buff colored clay to show
through the glaze, thereby softening the white background. With a couple
of brushes, a bit of manganese dioxide for the browns and copper oxide for
the greens, a carefree brush magician goes to work making mask and costume
a great splash of pattern. But the limitation of color keeps the
figures’ forms still intact in spite of all the patter. This is majolica
technique with a modern twist. |
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The Equestrian
Our little equestrian Dane, still tiny enough a boy
to wear a dress, is sitting high on his horse, holding his head steady so
that the candle or flower in his hat (if there was one) might not tip as
he gallops thru his wonderland. How well Mr. Wiinblad
understands a playful child… or is it Wiinblad
himself, a grown-up boy, still able to make the world his oyster. The
oversimplification of form without a hairline, clothesline, or saddle
allows his facile mind to rise in clouds of imagination and his strokes to
wander like a confused bee in a bed of roses. The colors of the horse and
child are as gaudy as a patchwork quilt. Translucent underglazes of
crimson, yellow, blue-green and brown saunter about the piece. |
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Miss Springtime
Little Miss Springtime, still in the same style as
the other pieces, is very different in approach as far as the materials
used to make her, the Danish Flora, Goddess of Spring. The plate is made
of a red terra cotta clay and was thrown on the wheel. My Wiinblad’s
technique in making this piece is a guess on my part. I am judging only
from observation. Take my
analysis for what it is worth. Her face is the color of the clay body. The
shadows in her nose, eyelids and neck look like the clay of the piece with
additions of iron oxide to make the color deeper. Her hair is blue and
green and most likely a cobalt and copper engobe similar to the commercial
hobby underglazes. The three flowers in her hair were made with nickel
oxide added to the clay; nickel with a teench of cobalt in the clip to
make the vine on the side of her nose; white and black slip for her eyes.
The rest of the decorating, such as the white spirals in the flowers, her
mouth, the line of her upper eyelids, the dots in the flowers, and the
streaks and spots of the flowers in her hair were made by slip trailing.
This is done by using a syringe or plastic bottle to apply the colored
underglazes to the piece. This gives the surface of the piece a
three-dimensional quality. The piece was then bisqued, covered with clear
glaze and refired. How magnificently Wiinblad
mixes the bizarre with romanticism to make his goddess of spring a most
charming creature.
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| How well his work demonstrates that materials,
so common to potters for generations can be used to make modern
masterpieces with a new style rather than using the enlarged color palette
of modern chemistry. Skoll, Mr Wiinblad! |
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