Essay on Peter Voulkos: Innovation and Influence in Ceramic Sculpture

This essay delves into the ceramic sculpture of Peter Voulkos, an American artist of Greek descent renowned for his abstract expressionist approach to ceramics. The essay explores his motivations for sculpting, his innovative techniques, and the impact of his work on the field. Voulkos, initially trained as a potter, defied traditional boundaries by creating non-utilitarian ceramic sculptures, often incorporating elements like plates, ice buckets, and stacks. His work is characterized by freely formed constructions and energetic decoration, sometimes involving aggressive techniques like tearing and pounding the surfaces. The essay also includes a critique of his sculpture 'Sevillanas,' highlighting its totemic mass and rhythmic density, reflecting Voulkos's knowledge and love of classical guitar music. The author reflects on how Voulkos's work has influenced their own artistic perspective, particularly his rule-breaking creativity and abstract expression, and encourages readers to explore Desklib for more solved assignments and study resources.

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Sculpture
The existence of sculpture art has been present long before man could record history. It is
one of the oldest forms of art and people have been sculpting free-standing figures with the help
of bone rocks and other available objects (Murphy 310). Often it has been stated that sculpting is
the art that is even more powerful than painting and literature for the fact that it can be felt, and
touched. The essay aims to discuss the art of sculpture about a ceramic artist who uses sculpture
in their practice. The reason for them to sculpt, the things they sculpt and the reason that is found
interesting.
Peter Voulkos was an American artist of Greek descent. His abstract expressionist
ceramic sculptures make him famous across the globe. The traditional cross between fine art and
ceramic crafts were noted in his work. One of the most significant sculptors of the 20th century
is Peter Voulkos. His large clay sculpture was from plates, ice bucket and stacks which he then
cast in bronze (Philburn). When Peter returned to Montana after his graduation according to
Roberta Smith, he was able to attract attention ‘as a prodigious natural potter and producer of
elegantly thrown functional earthenware’. In his work, he also produced dinnerware in order to
sell through the stores of high quality. He was noted for his exceptional wax-resist method of
decoration. His reputation as a master of ceramics technique was soon popular that made him

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win twenty-nine awards and prizes from 1949 through 1953. He established a new ceramics
department and graduate program in the Los Angeles Country Art Institute when he was invited
to teach there (Addison and Burgess). He invented new ways of approaching the ceramics. He
experimented sculpting with bronze and produced large scale sculptures with bronze. There is an
excellent influence of Peter Voulkos on ceramic art and sculpture as his work was admired
across the globe. His work as a teacher, innovator, and a colleague have inspired generations in
the field of ceramics and forced them to push boundaries. It has also, helped them find liberation
in their medium.
Why he sculpt?
Peter Voulkos was not only a sculptor but a charismatic ceramic sculptor, a teacher and a
genuinely great artist in his generation. He was a trained potter who pushed boundaries, violated
every rule of pottery or pot-making. It was even possible for him to violet rules of pot-making
with a live audience. Peter Voulkos began his journey of working with ceramics at Montana state
college during his senior year in 1949 (Teti). Since then he was only making a revolution with
his clay sculptures smashing boundaries and constraints of utilitarian ceramics with mainly three
categories of work involving ice bucket, plates and stakes. According to Voulkos, he was not a
conceptual artist, he could not think of ideas and create it. However, he believed his ideas and
thoughts came out of his hands’. He has been in this field since his college and perused his
studies in the same field. Peter Voulkos worked with risk and gave revolution to sculpting.
What he sculpt?
Voulkos was someone who presented the world with an entirely different viewpoint of
ceramic sculpture. He raised ceramics to the non-utilitarian and aesthetic spheres (Winata). He is

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most commonly recognized as an abstract Expressionist ceramist. Ceramics, tientos, anada,
sevillanasa are some of his creations.
What was interesting in his work?
There are more than a single reason for finding Voulkos’s sculptures interesting. Apart
from the fact that his works reflect extraordinary skills, there is a visual weight to his sculptures.
They are freely formed construction along with aggressive and energetic decoration. While
creating his masterpieces, he would vigorously tear, gouge and pound the surfaces of the
sculptures (Adamson 249). At one point in his career, he began casting sculptures in bronze
which was innovative during his period. Also, during the early periods of his ceramic works, he
used painted brushstrokes that were glazed and painted. One of the most interesting parts of him
was his live sessions. He would conduct live ceramic-sculpting sessions for his students,
demonstrating his work involving all the hard works (Schramm). The live sessions would help
students observe his unique, aggressive and engrossed trait in regard to sculpting and his talent.
How his work influence my own?
Peter Voulkos is no way an artist will not know about Peter Voulkos and his exceptional
sculpting style. His work has influenced many during his time and later. I am no exception and
the most fascinating aspect about him is his quest for creativity. Peter Voulkos was someone who
went beyond rules and regulations while creating his sculpture. It is one of the interesting parts
of his personality as an artist that made me admire him as art is a vast field and human mind
cannot innovate extraordinary art when bounded by rules (Morris). Also, his perspective of
abstract expression has been an inspiration that helped me understand the depth and think deeply.

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Critique of one of his work:
Fig: 1: Sevillanas
Source: https://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag01/march01/voulkos/voulkos.shtml
One of the works of Peter Voulkos that I admire is Peter Voulkos’ Sevillanas. Sevillanas
(1959) is a totemic mass made with compacted and compounded pots into a rhythmically dense
as well as upright whole. The structure is five feet tall and presents a visceral presence. Made
with ceramic, the pottery is a beautiful art. The usage of ceramic in creating a beautiful piece is
noteworthy. The expression of his abstract thought is very appreciating with various details to
learn for a young learner like me. Similar to his other works, the piece represents his knowledge
and love of classical guitar music. Like the Sevillanas music, Voulkos’s sculpture manifest a
combination of violence, love, destruction and life.
Conclusion:
As mentioned above, the existence of sculpture art has been present long before man
could record history. Through various ways artists have used sculpting as a form of expression.
Peter Voulkos have been one of the remarkable artist who have given the world with new

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perspective of looking at sculpting. He can be considered tremendously impactful possibly more
than any other artist. With his unique style of dealing with ceramic, clay and other related things.

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References:
Adamson, Glenn. "Implications: The modern pot." The Ceramics Reader (2017): 249.
Addison, Nicholas, and Lesley Burgess. Learning to Teach Art and Design in the Secondary
School: A companion to school experience. Routledge, 2014.
Chattopadhyay, Collette. "Sculpture.Org." Sculpture.org. N.p., 2001. Web. 13 Feb. 2019.
Morris, Kathleen. Emerging views on making: Fibre graduates reflect on their practice. Diss.
University of Toronto, 2013.
Murphy, Stephen A. "Buddhism and its relationship to Dvaravati period settlement patterns and
material culture in northeast Thailand and central Laos c. sixth–eleventh centuries AD: A
historical ecology approach to the landscape of the Khorat Plateau." Asian
Perspectives (2013): 300-326.
Philburn, Ginger. From Functionality to Aesthetics: Palbo Picasso (1881-1973) and Peter
Voulkos (1924-2002). Diss. Azusa Pacific University, 2017.
Schramm, Samantha. "Shared Knowledge and Distributed Creativity In art history and related
disciplines there is an increasing interest in addressing the question of wheather the
experimental logics of science can be transferred to art or if artistic practice has
nonetheless its own sense of production and aesthetic perception. 2 According
to." CREATIVE PROCESSES IN ART: 165.
Teti, Matthew. From Minimalism to Performance Art: Chris Burden, 1967–1971. Diss.
Columbia University, 2018.
Winata, Gita. "Vessel and Tradition in Ceramic Art."