Black-on-black ceramic vessel

Black-on-black ceramic vessel. Maria Martínez and Julian Martínez, Tewa, Puebloan, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico. c. mid-20th century C.E. blackware ceramic

• To make the pottery stronger it had to be mixed with a temper made from sherds of broken pots that had been pounded into a powder or volcanic ash. When mixed with water, the elasticity of the clay and the strength of the temper could be formed into different shapes, including a rounded pot.
• Only the artist’s hands as the potting wheel was not used.
• Community job; many people worked on one sculpture; pioneered a style of applying a matte-black design over polished-black.
• rain clouds, bird feathers, rows of planted corn, and the flow of rivers.
• These designs are exaggerated due to the low rounded shapes of the pot, which are bulbous around the shoulder then narrow at the top. 
• The shape, color, and designs fit the contemporary Art Deco movement, which was popular between the two World Wars and emphasized bold, geometric forms and colors. 
• With its dramatic shape and the high polish of surface, this pot exemplifies Maria Martinez’s skill in transforming a utilitarian object into a fine art.
• MARIA MARTINEZ BROUGHT THE CULTURE/STYLE INTO A WIDER CONTEXT, ALLOWED MORE PEOPLE TO APPRECIATE IT