Jon Hur, undated (24.5cm)

The world of art pottery is an endless ocean of anonymous artists in which I rarely dive. I made an exception for this piece because a) there was just something special about it and b) I found some clues as to who the artist was. The easy part was (a). I was drawn immediately to the “figure” on the one side; it was as if the ceramist had taken a Cubist Fantoni harlequin sculpture and reduced it to the most basic elements of form and color, à la Matisse in the 50s. The piece itself was harmonious, yet a friction could be detected: While the vase’s squared shoulders, precise sgraffito and thick collar seemed undeniably masculine, the pastel colors, modest size and flared foot lent distinct feminine elements. To me, it was a work of an accomplished artist. This led to (b): Who was the artist? The signature “J Hur” led to a 2023 auction of a plate by Jon Hur; the signature was a match. Further searches uncovered Hur had been a young immigrant from South Korea who studied ceramics at the University of Massachusetts; received his BA from the Wringling School of Art; apprenticed under Cape Cod, MA ceramist Harry Holl in the 80s; ran his own pottery studio in Piru, CA through the mid-90s; then taught pottery at California Lutheran University (CLU) in 1997. At some point before teaching at CLU, he also taught for two years at Gae-won, an arts school in Seoul. Quite the resumé! Yet… there was nothing I could find after 1997. As for his works, they also seem to have disappeared or been detached from his name, as this one was. What happened to Hur and his art is a mystery I didn’t think I’d be trying to solve, but now feel compelled to. Perhaps next time I should just let the vase speak for itself — and leave the artist alone.