Reflection Essay on Greenhalgh’s article


After reading Paul Greenhalgh’s detailed writing about ceramics, it really made me think about things which I had not given much attention to before. It actually convinces a person on the facts about ceramics which are not normally thought about in depth.
The article tells us about the historical facts of ceramics and how different cultures deal with it. It is no doubt one of the few things which survive even after thousands of years and help archaeologists to identify an entire type of civilization. Although Ceramics is an ancient process, but with the passing centuries, it has been striving to reach up to a contemporary level.
In the article, I really liked this sentence: “Ceramic is forced to constantly wear the past in the present but has rarely managed to wear the future in the present.” This is very true with reference to the general perception. The word ceramic itself makes one think that it’s a profession of making pots which has been carried on since olden times. However, unlike other fields such as textile designing people still can’t figure out its future. Again, this has individual differences and everyone might think differently.
Moving on, there are certain misconceptions related to ceramics. People who do not have an art background consider ceramics to be related with just making pots and pans. They don’t even try to think beyond this fact and what wonders a lump of clay can do. Here the type of culture a person is living in has a very big influence on everyone’s way of thinking and perception. Often people ask me about my major and when they hear “ceramics” everyone has a different expression to it. Some really like the idea and appreciate it while some make strange faces as to why I chose such a field which has no “Scope” in future. Once when asked, I told someone that I am really happy to be doing ceramics, but he was quite astonished and didn’t really like the idea and asked me as to why I had not gone for any other “popular” field such as textile or graphics.
I agree with the fact that everyone has likes and dislikes about various things. I also understand that ceramics may not be a suitable choice for those who want to get jobs right away and earn a lot. However, I feel that those who comment on the uselessness of ceramics are those who infact don’t know much about it. There is lack of awareness as far as other fields are concerned which have a better “scope” in future. I believe in the fact that if you really want to learn something and once you excel in it, you can make your own scope. The reason why I decided to go for this is because I really want to explore a lot and I know that I also want to make the most out of it. It is the will which plays an important part. In countries like America and England, ceramics is quite a well known field which shows that there is definitely a lot of awareness. Also, People who are not at all related to the art background but may have good tastes along with strong aesthetics do treat ceramics as a field of art.
Nowadays people pay a lot of attention to their home interiors and I feel that ceramic pieces play a very important role in enhancing an area’s entire feel. Some time ago I visited my aunt’s new house in Lahore. She had tastefully decorated her house with ceramic murals which looked wonderful and really added to the beauty of that place. The murals were simply made up of ceramic tiles and pieces arranged in simple ways which worked really well. Apart from that, the choice of sculptural ceramics also tells about the owner’s style. After attending a few ceramic exhibitions and even visiting certain interior decoration shops, I strongly feel that with ceramics one can do a lot. I have seen so many interesting functional and non functional ceramic pieces that it makes me feel proud that I have been given the opportunity to learn a lot about this field.
I really want to become part of those people who wish to make ceramics as a popular form of art and I believe that with passing time I have felt a slight increase of awareness among people with reference to ceramics. It is gradually making its place in the art society. The trend of setting up ceramic exhibitions is also increasing however committed ceramists need to work hard for its establishment.