A major figure in post-war decorative arts, Georges Jouve (1910–1964) embodied a style of ceramics that was free from academicism. A free artist nicknamed “Apollo”, he tirelessly explored the links between form, material and light, combining utility and ornamentation, rigour and fantasy. His wide stylistic range, from realism to abstraction, set him apart early on, as did his most famous signature: black enamel.
“The form must come in from the interior and push towards the exterior, that is to say be inflated. This is a general law of the object. Enamels will be more beautiful on well-rounded surfaces, and then there is this idea that the object must contain something. It is natural that is should contain the maximum in the smallest volume, and that the form should retain the same sense even if the object needs contain nothing.”
