Pottery. Masters of pottery. The main nuances of pottery

Pottery was originally developed as a craft that served to make receptacles for meals or vessels in which loose and liquid materials are stored. To date, it is a molding treatment on a specially designed potter's wheel, after which a glaze is applied to the dried product, followed by a mandatory firing of the clay. Thus, objects are produced that are used in any field: household use, construction, decorations, ornaments, souvenirs. These products are called pottery ceramics, they can be found anywhere in the world.

There are three main classes of production in pottery technology:

• Production of building bricks;
• The manufacture of clay or stone dishes;
• Production of more refined earthenware or porcelain items.

Based on the technology of production, all classes of pottery are similar, but there are a number of nuances that affect the final result. The main difference is the clay varieties that underlie the product.

History

As mentioned earlier, pottery originated from a craft that served solely to make vessels for storing materials and food. Over time, it developed, enriched, and appeared today before us no longer in the form seen by our distant ancestors. Thanks to technological discoveries, new objects of manufacture began to appear, they caused the appearance of objects such as refractory brick, stone utensils, tiles, tiles, drainage pipes, architectural ornaments and other numerous products.

Due to the fact that the society began to decorate and decorate the usual clay products, pottery from the category of crafts has moved into the category of art. The manufacture of clay pots was popular in antiquity ever since mankind became acquainted with the material widespread on the planet - clay and its properties.

The Old Testament contains several references to the profession of the potter and his products. The oldest vessels of clay, even in prehistoric times, were trimmed with a human hand and, accordingly, were of irregular shape. A little later, there are round and oval products, apparently made with the help of a potter's wheel. History has not preserved the information about the exact appearance of this circle, but it has been mentioned since antiquity.

It is known that in Asia the first porcelain products appeared two thousand years ago. This indicates that the pottery industry in China has developed much more rapidly than the rest of the world.

Each people had their own traditions associated with this craft, which turned into art. So in the African countries in the beginning of the twentieth century pots were made by hand, clay drying was carried out in the sun, and roasting of the product was made with a bundle of straw and fire.

As for Europe, here before the eighth century the pottery was in utter decay. Only the Spanish Moors gave him a push, at about the same time there were products that were covered with glaze.

Pottery mastered its flourishing around the thirteenth century. The brightest splash occurred in Italy, there was invented majolica - a kind of ceramics, which is made of baked clay. Florence presented the world with such a master of pottery, as Luke Robbia, his sculptures and other works are considered the pride of the nation in our time.

Using the technologies of the sculptor Robbia, the Tuscan factories have made one more step forward - products from faience. They were first burned with fire, then they were covered with white watering, on which drawings were made, after which the product was exposed to a second baking, stronger than the first one. Majolica began to make not only architectural decorations, but also household utensils, flowerpots, statuettes.

After the decline of pottery in Italy, the relay took over France. It was here that a clay kiln was invented .

In the Middle Ages, pottery was created and used only by the poor, the higher classes used tin, silver, gold. A wide application of pottery also received in the church decoration. Here it was used to create jugs. Similar products adorn the churches of Novgorod, as well as temples of the times of the Romanovs.

At the end of the eighteenth century, entire factories began to appear around the world, which are engaged in pottery.

Ceramic products

The main difference between varieties of ceramics is the composition of the mass, as well as the type of glaze from which they are made. Pottery can be of two types: dense and porous.

Dense - these are the products that, when fired, because of the high temperature, merge into a homogeneous solid mass. On the fracture, this product resembles glass. It is semi-transparent and does not absorb liquid, but striking against steel gives sparks. An example of a dense pottery is porcelain.

Porous, on the contrary, easily break, pass the liquid. Among such products is faience.

There may be products that do not belong to any type, but are something transitional between these two species.

Thick

To this category of pottery belong the following:

• Solid porcelain. The mass is fused, translucent, fine-grained, elastic, homogeneous, firm, it will not yield to the action of the knife. Such porcelain contains kaolin, chalk, quartz and feldspar. It is subjected to a dual firing: first weak for glaze coating, then strong after coating.
• Soft porcelain. It is also called French. Its content is practically transparent lead glaze. There is also a need for double firing, only at first very strong, and at the end weaker.
• Unglazed porcelain, or biscuit. Has the usual porcelain mass.
• Pariyan. By mass is close to soft porcelain, has a yellowish tinge, is difficult to melt.
• Carrara. White, translucent. His mass is a cross between stone products and a pariah.
• Stone products. They have an inherent dense, fine-grained mass. There are ordinary and delicate products, mostly white.

Porous

This category contains:

• Delicate faience. It is a mixture of refractory clay and silica. It is covered with a transparent glaze. The mass is opaque, ringing.
• Ordinary faience, or majolica. This is a red-yellow mass, which after firing is covered with opaque tin glaze.
• Products made from ordinary and fire-resistant clay. This includes bricks, tiles, drainage pipes, etc.
• Burnt stone mass, or, as it is also called, terracotta. Its composition - purified clay and shredded fragments of finished products. It is used for finishing vases and other products.
• Ordinary pottery. The mass is produced from clay, clay marl, and also from opaque lead glaze.

Materials for pottery

To make bricks, porcelain, faience, it is necessary to do the following work: make clay mass, form it, dry it, burn it and cover it with glaze. The main material for the manufacture of products is clay. Masters of pottery prefer to use pottery clay, which has the necessary viscosity, and its thermal resistance is ideal for creating products. Despite the fact that the clay itself has a high level of plasticity, it is mandatory to add auxiliary materials due to the fact that during firing, its rapid and uneven compression occurs, which turns the product into an absurd thing. To produce the simplest product, you need more sand, ash, sawdust, for the production of better quality you need chamotte - powder, which is obtained from crushed products.

For the production of conventional pottery, previously mined clay should be left for one or two years in airspace or in water. After that, it is moved in wooden boxes, in factories and factories special machines do it. This action is necessary in order to clean the clay from rocks or debris. After the clay is removed from the boxes, it is piled into heaps, which are cut with a knife into thin plates. They are again placed in boxes and shuffled again, cleansing of impurities that could remain on it. Higher grades of products, especially colorless ones, require component parts that must be perfectly cleaned. The main rule of benign clay mass is its homogeneity. For the purpose of high-quality cleaning, clay is divided into small pieces, which are watered and after a day of "soaking" are thrown into kneading machines. The teeth of this machine with rapid rotation cut the clay, and a stream of water passing through this chamber, carries very small pieces into a special pool, large remain at the bottom. The pool is designed for the next level of cleaning, here coarse particles precipitate, after which another jet carries them to the second basin. In it, the clay is completely eliminated. In this technology, only warm water is used, because it separates clay pieces better, and the cleaning process is noticeably accelerated due to the optimum temperature.

The proportions of the constituent parts are determined for each type of product separately. Mixing of funds also occurs in different ways: on dry, knives or water jets. When receiving this homogeneous mass, there still remains a large number of undesirable bubbles. This problem is eliminated either with special equipment, or with the help of feet, with which the clay is simply trampled down to the required consistency.

Burning

In a narrow sense, ceramics are the same clay, but the fired. Accordingly, when they say "ceramics", they mean products made from inorganic materials (often clays), as well as their mixtures with various additives that are produced under the influence of high temperatures and subsequent cooling.

The firing process starts irreversible changes, after which the material turns into a ceramic. Under the influence of high temperature, fusion of small particles occurs in the places where they are in contact.

The technology undergoes significant changes in the production of porcelain. This is due to the difference in materials, the required temperature and the different properties of the components. Each source material has its own proportions, as well as a certain temperature regime:

• For products made of clay - 1000-1200 degrees Celsius ;
• For ceramic products - 1100-1300;
• For products made of porcelain - 1200-1400.

The technology of roasting products is carried out by various methods. Nevertheless, the roasting process in the oven is a centuries-old, unchanging tradition. Depending on the temperature and the duration of the process, products of different quality are obtained. Therefore, the maximum temperature in the furnaces in production does not change, until the production of the whole batch of products is finished.

Moreover, the appearance of the finished product depends on the composition of the atmosphere in the kiln for roasting. You can cause this or that degree of air oxidation. With the help of specially specified parameters it is possible to achieve even that the pottery clay will change its color from brown to green.

Application of glaze

Some pottery works are not covered by glaze. These include bricks, tiles, terracotta, pots. The so-called glazing is carried out in order to protect clay products from excess moisture. The same result was achieved in ancient times and milk roasting - a method of giving products a beautiful look and water resistance.

Not the most expensive clay products are glazed in raw form simultaneously with roasting. This is called mourning. The essence of this action is that during the firing in the furnace salt is thrown, which turns into vapors and settles on the product. In the place where it lands, a low-melting compound is formed, called an ant.

Another method of coating is that the glaze is poured into a fine powder and the product sprinkles. Often these are products of rough manufacture: pots, unbaked pipes and so on. Before applying the coating, the product is smeared with flour paste and subjected to roasting.

The essence of the third method is that the product is poured with glaze, which has a consistency of cream. A similar method covers solid products that practically do not absorb the liquid. For example, some types of porcelain and faience.

And the last way is that porcelain and earthenware are placed in a container with glaze. This method is intended for those products that are subject to weak firing and initially absorb liquid. The glaze is ground into a fine powder, mixed with water. In this liquid, which resembles milk in a consistency, a product is placed that absorbs this mixture. It is possible to make a drawing on such a glaze.

Art therapy

In a modern rhythm everyone finds his way to relax. One of the most beautiful and unusual methods is to do pottery. There are two ways to try yourself in this art. The first is to buy a potter's wheel and the necessary materials to do it yourself. Pottery workshop in your own house is not only stylish and fashionable, but also incredibly exciting for you, your family and friends. In this case, you can feel like a free artist, try different forms, relying on video lessons.

The second way is the school of pottery. In a class of the same beginners as yourself, you will have the opportunity to try on the role of the creator of the beautiful, the artist and sculpture.

Psychologists say that pottery is a great way to cope with stress, to become more balanced and attentive. Art therapy, according to experts, is one of the best methods to combat depression and other nervous disorders. Pastime behind a potter's wheel helps to organize thoughts, to distract from small everyday troubles and to find a way out of a difficult life situation. "The full impact of the case will not solve your problems, but it will definitely help to find ways to solve them," the doctors say in one voice.

Products by own hands

In every house there are clay, ceramic or porcelain products. In a mass production environment, it's hard to surprise anyone with a factory dish or a vase for flowers.

Pottery is an incredibly fun and exciting activity for the whole family. You can have fun, learn new business, develop skills and skill.

Visiting the first pottery master class, you can already independently make a pot. Attentive teachers usually patience with beginners, guiding them and helping in everything. Pottery helps to cope with small stress, distracting from everyday vanity. And the products you make yourself will be an occasion to be proud of another victory over yourself. In addition, after you work around the circle and blind your pot, you will have the opportunity to paint it with your own hands. Here you can show all imagination. Such a product will be a wonderful gift to a loved one.

Popular parties are parties, birthdays and corporate parties held for such an unusual occupation. This is a good opportunity to talk, get to know each other and see the creative potential of your friends. Moreover, such a holiday is sure to be remembered for its unusualness, originality, and products made independently for the potter's wheel, will be an excellent gift in memory of a wonderful day. And someone, perhaps, will discover the talent in himself and seriously take up this business, in order to open his own pottery museum in the future. Especially you will like this activity for children. If they are good at molding plasticine, then you should try to give them to the pottery school. This will help develop the motor skills of the hands, will have a beneficial effect on the mood of the baby, and will also open the creative potential of the child. An interesting and fascinating hobby develops attention, imagination and thinking.

Hobby or business?

In the modern world, pottery is very popular. They belong to the category of products, which is always in demand and relevant. In every house there are dishes, vases, pots, various figurines and souvenirs. For many centuries this craft, growing into art, is popular and in demand. And because the passion for pottery is increasingly growing into a real business. Own pottery is a very profitable business, because the main raw material - clay - free material, which in the literal sense lies just under our feet. Beautiful, original, designer products can bring a good income to the manufacturer. The master of pottery is a profession for the soul. You can diversify the world around you, get a unique hobby that will bring you profit, and also reveal your creativity.

Pottery is popular all over the world. Despite the fact that it is already several dozen centuries, it will never go out of fashion.