Space Box

Enric Mestre is one of Spanish most important modern potters.Twenty ceramic works currently collected in the Valencia Fine Arts Museum are the most representative works of Mestre.This series of works comprehensively shows the artist’s distinctive artistic language and is a representative example of modern and contemporary pottery in the industry.The term "space box" was coined by Francisco Campers Odin to describe the series of works by Mestre in the form of boxes to create ceramic works with architectural elements in three dimensions.The works in this series use a highly generalized form and decorative language with paintings to create a poetic geometric series of ceramic sculptures through the molding method of clay tablet molding.This article takes the twenty ceramic works of Mestre in the Valencia Fine Arts Museum as the research object,and conducts fieldwork interviews and first-hand materials to organize translations as the research basis.From the influence of abstract expressionist trends on Mestre’s creation,the exhibition of twenty works in the Valencia Fine Arts Museum in 2006 explored the origin of his works.Then analyze the artistic characteristics of Mestre’s works from three angles: the modeling methods of geometric space of the series,the experimental path of ceramic materials,and the painting language of surface decoration.It is concluded that Enric Mestre takes clay tableting as the main molding method,takes geometry as the main shape,and integrates architectural language and space concepts into ceramic sculpture creation.On the basis of material experiments,the original characteristics of materials are valued,and the color,texture,and firing of the work are unique,rich,and delicate.The work as a whole creates a mood that is both rational,calm,and poetic.