Jaelen Jones

Mr. Esparza

Honors Sculpture 1

May 3rd, 2024

(Reference Images Below)

Deviations From The Ceramic Norm: Robert Arneson

What comes to mind when one thinks of ceramics? Perhaps one would think of cups,

plates, or vases which are all functional and utilitarian objects that are staples of the craft,

however, ceramics don’t have to be functional nor utilitarian and can present a new art form with

aesthetics alone. Funk art, regarded by John Natsoulas as “the art of the absurd, the ridiculous,

[and] the exaggerated,” is a deviation from the ceramic norm where the artist is free to sculpt

without the functional or utilitarian aspect of the craft being required, and will most often use

gag humor to shock the viewer. The “father of Funk art” himself, Robert Arneson, is an all too

obvious example of this shift in ceramics as his own utilization of the utilitarian craft was

cultivated into an aesthetic art form over time which expresses not only Arneson’s own artistic

focus, mindset, and nature; but sometimes deep-rooted societal issues after the Funk art

movement began in 1962.

Before the Funk art movement began, in the 1950s, Arneson was still using clay in a

functional and utilitarian manner, however, it would be an understatement to say his mind wasn’t

focused on the abstract. For instance, Arneson’s 1958 piece titled “Small early vase, USA,” is

merely a ceramic vase that was most likely constructed on a wheel and meant to be used in a

utilitarian manner, however, the abstract glaze pattern does subtly differentiate it from other

functional ceramic vases. Moreover, Arneson’s 1956 piece titled “Hand Bowl'' is, on the surface,
a wad of clay that has been shaped into an incomplete bowl with a rim that is largely

asymmetrical, but the glaze that Arneson used brings the piece together as it could be mistaken

for a rock that naturally formed this bowl-ish shape. Pieces like this that Arneson constructed in

the 1950s are a symbolic middle ground for Arneson’s focus on functionality but also his

deviation towards abstraction as some may find the “bowl” functional, but others will see it as a

ceramic piece that is meant to be looked at aesthetically and fawned over.

After the Funk art movement, in the 1960s, a fitting way one could describe Arneson

after he hit his near-total stride towards Funk art is: off the rocker. While Arneson still

occasionally created pieces which were functional and utilitarian, more often than not he’d also

make a piece that was purely for visual aesthetics. An example of a group of pieces that could

still be considered functional are the collection of “Arneson bricks” that were mostly constructed

in 1969 but continued to be sculpted as Arneson’s career went on. These bricks are aesthetically

pleasing because they have the worn look of bricks that have been used within the construction

of housing, and have “Arneson'' engraved into their center, but they are also functional objects

which could be put together to build a wall. Furthermore, although Arneson was now focused on

the abstract nature of Funk art, he also constructed objects which at first glance may appear

functional but are actually completely aesthetic. Arneson’s 1969 piece titled “A Teapot? Not

Very Funky” embodies this idea of artistic deception as it possesses almost all of the necessary

components that go into a teapot, including a spout, foot, and body, however, it leads into itself

with a similar fashion to that of a Klein bottle so that it does not have or require a top, and

needless to say, this object is functionally useless because you cannot fill it conventionally. The

title of the work is also particularly interesting as it seems Arneson is poking fun at his own

artwork and/or contradicting himself by creating a sculpture with an aesthetic form resembling
that of a teapot while making it useless. Moreover, many of Arneson’s other works which he

created during this period in his career remain untitled because of their odd or “funky” forms

which are up for interpretation. One of these pieces that particularly sticks out is his 1961 piece

titled “Untitled” which seemingly depicts a heart which is plagued by disease and rotting from

the inside-out, while smoke permeates from the inside and bugs from the Earth burrow into it

from the outside, but again, that’s up for interpretation. The presence of a handle also suggests

that Arneson was going against the ceramic norm and creating an object which is meant for

aesthetic purposes and making it appear functional. Arneson was simply expressing himself in

this stage of his career because he was leaning more towards Funk art in this decade.

In the 1970s, Arneson began to consistently create ceramic bodies with his own likeness

sculpted into them because he wanted to further express his funky nature, mirror his image into

his work, and perhaps even project himself into the position of others who weren’t ceramicists.

Arneson’s 1972 piece titled “Bob as Chef” depicts himself as a chef within uniform while a piece

of red substance remains stuck in his mustache and juts out at the viewer because of the clear

contrast between the white glaze and red glaze. This detail allows the viewer to glance into

Arneson’s mind, as if he were a chef, they can imagine that he would be sampling the food and

accidentally leaving it within his mustache. This image of Arneson within the viewer’s

imagination gives them an experience beyond the sculpture and puts Arneson in a position where

he is a chef, not merely a ceramic artist who puts himself in a chef’s shoes. Another work of

Arneson’s where he depicts himself in a situation different from his own is his 1978 piece titled

“Konk,” where Arneson’s head has been squashed into a slanted and lopsided position with a

lightbulb at the point of impact. This piece both embodies the Funk art movement and perhaps

conveys to the viewer Arneson’s mental state as he created a piece where his likeness was being
harmed in a comedic fashion and an “idea” came to him because of the concussive experience.

To some, this could be seen as mad or demented, but again, he was merely expressing himself as

all artists should.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Arneson continued to incorporate his own likeness into his

ceramic pieces but he also started to subtly address social and political issues through his

artworks. Arneson’s 1983 piece titled “A nuclear warhead” depicts a decrepit, rotten, and

ancient-looking skull with nuclear warfare related terminology, including: “ICBM” and

“RADS,” etched into it at multiple points of contact. Of course, the physical condition of the

skull and the title of the work suggests that this is meant to be a nuclear warfare victim, however,

the skull could also be the concept of nuclear warfare personified, and this metaphorical premise

of nuclear warfare being an ancient thing of the past can’t be ignored either because it's a

political issue which even today threatens the world. Arneson’s 1991 piece titled “Split Lick”

(“split” acts as a homophone for “spit”) also addresses a social justice issue pertaining to racial

inequality because it depicts a single head with two sides split down the middle. The left side of

the head is a black man who intends to lick the spit of the white man on the right side, however,

he’s keeping his tongue away from the black man on the left. Arneson’s choice to contrast their

racial backgrounds but keep the two within the same subject expresses the idea that race is purely

a physical attribute and that all individuals are equal, however, the white man on the right denies

the black man on the left of his spit, and this suggests that the black man on the left isn’t even

worthy of the human excrement of the white man on the right because he’s “inferior.” Racial

inequality has been prominent throughout the world for centuries, and through his ceramic

artwork, Arneson depicts this harsh reality with a twist of humor and funk while addressing other

issues in the same manner.

 Ceramics have a long history rooted in utility and functionality, however, it is also a

unique art form which can be used aesthetically. Robert Arneson, the man who started the Funk

art movement, is an important individual because he broke barriers within the ceramic

community which allowed for aesthetic works made from clay with humor and absurdity to be

appreciated in a wider scope, but as stated before, he wasn’t always this way and he had to forge

his own path by deviating from the ceramic norm while expressing himself and the world around

him through his ceramic pieces. In short, Arneson stood out because fitting in wouldn’t have

satisfied his hunger for funk.

Images For Reference:

“Small early vase, USA,” 1958

“Hand Bowl,” 1956

 “Three Arneson Bricks,” 1969

“A Teapot? Not Very Funky,” 1969

“Untitled,” 1961

“Bob as Chef,” 1972

“Konk,” 1978

“A nuclear warhead,” 1983

“Split Lick,” 1991