T h o m a s B o h l e
a r n o l d s c h e art p u b l i s h e r s
The ceramicist Thomas Bohle, born in 1958, lives and works in his hometown Dornbirn, Austria. After several years of employment in the field of medicine, he felt the desire to do something creative He learnt the pottery trade and after completing his training in 1987 went on to accumulate a wide range of experience working in various studios. When he began building his own studio in Dornbirn in 1991, he decided to focus on vessel making His dream of having more space to be able to handle larger works was fulfilled with the construction of a house in the style of contemporary Vorarlberg architecture. 2008 marked the inauguration of the large studio, firing room, exhibition space and storage room A voluminous kiln was installed, and the technical equipment has continuously been adapted to accommodate large formats. To this day he has remained true to his conscious decision to devote his work exclusively to the thrown form, which in addition is thrown in one go.
¶ What interests Thomas Bohle are double-walled vessels in which the markedly different exterior and interior forms build a striking contrast that is also often accentuated by a juxtaposition of colours. The structure of the form is often conceived so as to allow the glazes to run down the vertical walls and form thick drops along the lower edge. Open-flame firing in a reducing atmosphere allows the ox blood and celadon glazes in particular to develop their splendid beauty. The different glazes matt or gloss and colours serve to accentuate and distinguish the individual vessel elements: foot, body, interior form. Thus the light unglazed parts stand out clearly against the crisp edges Never neglected, the overall image appears to be the result of a clear vision of form and design as well as skilful precision. In the tall bowls the foot rises from the foot ring, arching smoothly upward in a dynamic sweep and cantilevering out into the horizontal Then it takes an abrupt upward turn, continuing at a slant or vertically and a few centimetres later folds inward into the interior form. For the sharply tooled edge of the inward sloping form Thomas Bohle often uses a scalpel a reminder of his former profession The silhouette shows the dynamic sequence of curve and counter-curve, of concave and convex vessel elements. Often the outer skin is glazed matt black, while bright blood-red flows down the inner surface like a delicate pelt The closed vessels often display the reverse effect: gloss glazed on the outside, the small interior form appears silky matt black. In addition to a yellow-greenish-brown almondwood ash glaze Thomas Bohle has elaborated a palette of glazes that allows many form-related combinations
¶ In addition to his quite versatile ox blood glaze he has in recent years also developed a lush green and a brilliant yellow. His main focus is on the relationships between form and colour and among the glazes themselves. This gives rise to an exciting dialogue between the interlocking forms with their corresponding proportions and the magnificent painterly glazes, which break up the strict geometrical lines The calm splendour of a vessel’s appearance often makes one forget the consummate technical skill that went into shaping it. To attain a high level of inner strength one must constantly push the technical limits. During reduction firings in a gas kiln temperatures of 1,280° C and the various glazes on a single piece constantly present new obstacles to be overcome. Mastery of stoneware clay, familiarity with the laws of glazing and knowledge of the rebellious power of fire are what make Thomas Bohle’s work unique As a representative of a strict world of vessels he absorbs the outside stimuli and distils from them his own distinct voice. He does not work erratically but proceeds systematically and possesses his own highly individual sense of form. The desire to deepen and intensify what he has already achieved generates a dynamic in which each piece gives rise to the next. Parallel to this he continues to work towards technical perfection, not in the sense of an ultimate, stagnant perfection but of the expansion of the possibilities of form Knowing that only a certain willingness to take risks will give his objects the intensity capable of fascinating and moving people, Thomas Bohle must also accept failure. If we consider the many “beautiful” ceramic vessels that have no heart or soul and whose creator feels no love for his medium, no passion, we appreciate these qualities in Thomas Bohle’s vessels all the more. His enthusiasm for objects by non-European cultures is reflected in his striving to imbue his own works, despite their contemporary style and original design, with something of their special aura
As much as he is impressed by the archaic, Thomas Bohle does not seek to revisit the past. He is aware of the senselessness of wanting to create “ritual vessels” in an age that sets little store by cult worship
¶ Thomas Bohle is very well informed about contemporary ceramics. Wherever he can, he visits museums, collections and artists He admires Edouard Chapallaz for the matter-of-fact beauty and power of his pots and Hans Coper for the sculptural finesse and the monumentality of his manageably dimensioned works. What Thomas Bohle gleans from these influences is not trends to imitate but the high demands he places on himself to draw from his own potential and produce works with which he can identify. Beyond technical, material-dependent, formal and aesthetic qualities he seeks to give his works that certain something that breaks the bounds of mere craftsmanship Although the works lean towards conceptual clarity, what is manifested in them is not a pure, exclusive question of form but rather an intellectual worldview. They are rooted in the human form and the hand is their measure Thomas Bohle purposefully holds the balance between technoid precision and intuitive tension.
¶ No twentieth-century art movement has stayed alive so persistently and pervaded so many fields as Constructivism. It is the logical consequence of the attempts since 1900 to create non-objective art. This development also gave ceramic vessel art new impetus. It opened up new dimensions to the vessel as an object with the fundamental potential of being shaped in an abstract, three-dimensional way and brought recognition, especially since it is possible to employ form and colour as a combination inherently bound to the material in manifold and contemporary ways. With the chaos of the world Thomas Bohle juxtaposes the order of clear elements and energy-charged relationships He does not coldly constrict the precise geometrical beauty of his work to the mere arrangement of the circle and its segments. In the curves that unfold in the silhouette hints of organic contours also determine the expressive value of the form Through his personal feelings he succeeds in imparting a lyrical sentiment to the rational design. His sense of reduction and stylisation lets him see strictness and precision as an opportunity for artistic expressive power that can be evoked on the wheel by means of pottery Black vessels, too, have a strong spatial presence, as we experience with a grand piano. Even without being played it conveys a solemn aristocratic mood due to its aura. The delicate power captured by vessels radiates naturally through the room
Frank Nievergelt
¶ Born (*1945) and grew up in Zurich 1962 trained to be a goldsmith at the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts Worked at Othmar Zschaler’s goldsmith’s studio in Berne Studied art history at the University of Zurich From 1987 until 2010 worked first as an assistant then as a research associate at the Institute of Art History, University of Zurich. Director of the Kunsthalle Wil | SG from 1991 until 2012. ¶ Began building a collection of contemporary ceramics in 1970 First exhibitions in 1978 | 1979 in Lausanne, Zurich and Winterthur Publications in journals, catalogues and books in all fields of contemporary art with a focus on ceramics Co-organised exhibitions at the Musée Ariana in Geneva Today, retired and living near Lake Constance, he dedicates himself to organising exhibitions and writing texts
¶ Thomas Bohle is a latecomer to the world of ceramics, having switched to this profession from a completely different field. He still belongs to no particular group or association, but he has already made a name for himself as one of the most notable contemporary vessel makers. The quiet after the storm in the European ceramics scene has given way to some positive aspects. After the barriers were broken down, making everything in the field of ceramic art possible, what took place amid the flurry of fleeting experimental fads was a reflection of traditional formal and technical quality.
In this way ceramic artists with high standards can now devote all their energy to a body of work that is based on modern solutions and which continually strives to immerse itself deeper into its chosen formal world. With its affinity to high-end contemporary “design”
Thomas Bohle’s ingenuity of form and his perfect technical execution capture the spirit of the age Success confirms his choice of paths to have been right. He is in the fortunate position of being able to live from the ceramics he creates himself with neither a part-time job on the side nor the need to make concessions. Even today this is by no means something to be taken for granted
A good many ceramicists with artistic ambitions continue to teach at universities and academies to earn a living. Thomas Bohle is highly regarded and admired, especially in the English-speaking world, as articles in various recent publications on the subject of ceramics, design and technology clearly attest to. His works are precious blossoms in the jungle of today’s art production. With his work he succeeds in showing that the ceramic vessel is still brimming with as much potential for artistic expression as ever.
