FLYNN Sara (born 1971) - Lot 88

FLYNN Sara (born 1971) Oblong celadon-glazed porcelain vase decorated on the body with two stylized feathers. Signed and stamped. H. 13 cm - W. neck 11cm - D. neck 7 cm Irish artist Sara Flynn, who has worked almost exclusively in porcelain for 25 years, has achieved an extremely fine mastery of this material, which she pushes towards new, experimental forms. Her intimate, aesthetic work is organized in series, dictated by variations in glaze and geometry, within which this celadon vase occupies an atypical place, making exceptional use of figurative elements. The feather, on both sides of the piece, is evoked plastically by a play of striations. An allusion to guilloche metalwork, Anna Flynn rivals goldsmithing while suggesting the organic veins visible on the plumage of a real bird. More than their form, the feathers impose themselves through their dynamism. Kinetic, the piece is essentially driven by the opposing forces of the motif. The traditional circular stroke of the potter's wheel seems to be diverted to form an oblong, fragile shape. The incisive neck and celadon glaze, fading at the edges to reveal the white of the underlying material, are all small adjustments improvised by the ceramist during modelling. Exhibited at London's Victoria and Alberts Museum and shown in English and French galleries, Anna Flynn's harmonious use of materials is seductive.