1949.28, Bowl, Gertrud Natzler and Otto Natzler, American, 1948


GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Between his arrival in the United States in 1938 and the mid 1950s, ceramicist Otto Natzler was in what he termed his "earth" phase, dominated by scabrous or porous glazes that capitalized on the potential of the mistakes or faults of previous experiments. The simple shape of this bowl, thrown by his wife and partner Gertrud, is balanced by its dramatic yellow and brown "crater" glaze. Its texture is the result of reduction, the elimination of oxygen in the kiln due to the incineration of organic matter, as well as chance. Of this unpredictable technique, Natzler remarked: "You have only partial control over the accidental; the rest is up to God."

Drawn from
Peter Clothier, "Gertrud and Otto Natzler: A Ceramic Art in the Modernist Tradition," in Gertrud and Otto Natzler: Collaboration/Solitude, Janet Kardon, ed. (New York: American Craft Museum,1993), 29-33.

NOTES
TMS Updates 
Geo Xrefs - constituent Gertrud Natzler place of birth and death
Geo Xrefs - constituent Gertrud Natzler worked in location
Geo Xrefs - constituent Otto Natzler place of birth and death
Small booklet about the Natzlers can be found in the object file -- nice bio and highlights their work and process
Original Letter dated October 12, 1966 from Otto Natzler addressed to Mr. Merrill C. Rueppel, former Director Dallas Museum of Fine Arts found in object files
Letter dated August 2, 1949 from Mr. Jerry Bywaters, former Director Dallas Museum of Fine Arts to Otto and Gertrud Natzler found in object files

Insert UMOs for brochure and Jerry Bywaters letter. 
Insert UMOs for brochure and Jerry Bywaters letter. 

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography

Process/materials

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
1948: Gertrud and Otto Natzler, possibly Los Angeles, California [1]

From 1949: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, purchased by the Dallas Art Association [1] [2] [3] 

[1] According to a letter found in the DMA object file from Jerry Bywaters, former Director of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Otto Natzler (dated August 2, 1949) 
[2] TMS data
[3] The Dallas Arts Association is the predecessor to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name was abandoned in 1970. Works from this collection were transferred to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983. 

AUDIO ASSETS 

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES 

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1949.28
Apply to objects where id equals 4266124

Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
Between his arrival in the United States in 1938 and the mid 1950s, ceramicist Otto Natzler was in what he termed his "earth" phase, dominated by scabrous or porous glazes that capitalized on the potential of the mistakes or faults of previous experiments. The simple shape of this bowl, thrown by his wife and partner Gertrud, is balanced by its dramatic yellow and brown "crater" glaze. Its texture is the result of reduction, the elimination of oxygen in the kiln due to the incineration of organic matter, as well as chance. Of this unpredictable technique, Natzler remarked: "You have only partial control over the accidental; the rest is up to God."

Drawn from
Peter Clothier, "Gertrud and Otto Natzler: A Ceramic Art in the Modernist Tradition," in Gertrud and Otto Natzler: Collaboration/Solitude, Janet Kardon, ed. (New York: American Craft Museum,1993), 29-33.

Fun Facts

Archival Resources

Web Resources
 

Notes
TMS Updates 
Geo Xrefs - constituent Gertrud Natzler place of birth and death
Geo Xrefs - constituent Gertrud Natzler worked in location
Geo Xrefs - constituent Otto Natzler place of birth and death
Small booklet about the Natzlers can be found in the object file -- nice bio and highlights their work and process
Original Letter dated October 12, 1966 from Otto Natzler addressed to Mr. Merrill C. Rueppel, former Director Dallas Museum of Fine Arts found in object files
Letter dated August 2, 1949 from Mr. Jerry Bywaters, former Director Dallas Museum of Fine Arts to Otto and Gertrud Natzler found in object files

Insert UMOs for brochure and Jerry Bywaters letter. 
Insert UMOs for brochure and Jerry Bywaters letter. 

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography

Process/materials

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
1948: Gertrud and Otto Natzler, possibly Los Angeles, California [1]

From 1949: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, purchased by the Dallas Art Association [1] [2] [3] 

[1] According to a letter found in the DMA object file from Jerry Bywaters, former Director of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Otto Natzler (dated August 2, 1949) 
[2] TMS data
[3] The Dallas Arts Association is the predecessor to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name was abandoned in 1970. Works from this collection were transferred to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983. 

AUDIO ASSETS 

VIDEO ASSETS

rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1949.28
Apply To
Objects
id
Equals
4266124
tags
#draft
#completed
%copyedited_Gail
glazing (coating): AAT: 300053914
%Archived
*Decorative Arts and Design
decorative arts: AAT: 300054168
@bartsch-allen
containers (hierarchy name): AAT: 300045611
yellow (color): AAT: 300127794
%UMO pending
bowls (vessels): AAT: 300203596
Los Angeles (California/United States): TGN: 7023900
@Robinson
American (North American): AAT: 300107956
glaze: AAT: 300015091
Modern (style or period): AAT: 300264736
California (state/United States): TGN: 7007157
stoneware (pottery): AAT: 300010672
pottery (visual works): AAT: 300010666
potters: AAT: 300025414
throwing (pottery technique): AAT: 300053908
Natzler_Otto: ULAN: 500102867
Natzler_Gertrud: ULAN: 500102866
source file
object_notes_4_a-0150.xml.nores