L'arte di Marilena Bergamini
Raku
Raku (楽 raku-yaki) means to enjoy the day, to live in harmony with things and with people. Raku originates from the name of Rikyu, a master of the tea ceremony who lived in Japan in the 16th century.
Raku ceramics are Japanese earthenware fired and glazed at low temperatures (800°-900°C). Raku pieces are hand-modeled, which gives them a simple, irregular form. The pieces are removed from the second firing kiln while still incandescent and immediately covered with a layer of organic material (wood sawdust, dry leaves, newspaper).
Here, in the absence of oxygen (reduction), the glazes mature, creating ever-changing and iridescent effects. The typical crazing (fine cracks) is the result of the thermal shock that occurs upon extraction. The black color of the clay, a characteristic mark of Raku, is instead the outcome of the smoke impregnation during reduction, representing the dialectical counterpart to the glazed portion, while simultaneously being its substratum. Like every object in Oriental art, Raku exalts the marks of time: it doesn’t banish them, hide them, or avoid them. It cherishes them as unique pieces and offers them to view.
