Shoji Hamada

     Shoji Hamada was a Japanese potter that was born in 1894. Hamada had a significant impact in the pottery world. He was an important member of the mingei folk-art movement. This movement challenged society's definition of art. It was believed that only artisans can produce art. This movement was created to show that average people could also produce everyday objects as well. 

     The image above is a square bottle vase that Shoji Hamada had created. This vase is worth about 4,400 euros making that about 5,240 USD. What caught my attention was that it is a bottle-- a square bottle. My definition of a bottle is something that looks also like a cylinder, not a square. Besides the shape being different, I love the pattern that Hamada had used on the bottle. The separation of patterns makes the vase seem sophisticated.