Dish

Artist Comments

Milton Glaser
One could scarcely imagine a more reductive solution to the task of creating a bowl for ritual use. It is instructive to look at these two beautiful bowls together to realize how the smallest variations can produce significantly different effects. The brighter canary yellow of the later piece is infectiously cheerful compared to the more somber note that the earlier vessel creates. After you study the two bowls for a while the thinner body of the earlier piece begins to make the later one seem coarse. There is also the slightest difference in the height of the foot ring, the Hongzhi piece being slightly higher. It would be fascinating to observe which bowl was generally preferred. Would the bright yellow and thicker lip create a cheerful effect that most people prefer or would the more withdrawn and elegant earlier bowl prove to be more popular? Does the question depend on the sophistication of the audience? In this case, what do we mean by sophistication? The great subject of human aesthetic preference comes into play here. One recalls the Renaissance argument about the conflict of form and color. As for myself, I'd take home the bright yellow bowl.