I love this quote from Donald Buchanan: "Grace of line and clarity of form are allied to fitness of purpose."
When I think about what a "good design" is I always think about teapots. There are so many teapots in this world that don't pour well, and I know from my ceramist friends that the Teapot is the quinessential marker of a good maker. I love drinking tea, and I love my teapot. It never drips. My teapot is neither "retro" nor "modern." I did a google search for "retro teapot"
and found this one. I agree with google that this teapot is retro because it is somewhat kitschy and it carries a feeling of nostalgia. That is what I think of as "retro," reminiscent of the past in a kitschy and easy to consume kind of way. The orange and brown floral pattern makes me think of the 1960's, maybe my mother owned a teapot like this one. I like the form and the simple design. It is comforting. I have no idea if it is functional, but it looks like it would be. The website selling it describes it as: "Charming little retro tea pot from Daisy. Perfect for a tea party of two! Charming vintage floral design in orange and brown." I am amazed that they use the word "charming" twice. The marketing of this teapot seems to really be playing up the nostalgic aspects of the design. It is supposed to be comforting.
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to think about how scale is so essential to determine what is "charming" --in addition to other camera-shy aspects of reality.
FYI, Christopher Dresser's 1879 teapot (you can see it at http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/27108-large.jpg ) has been positioned as "shocking" in a photo but is so petite in person that it can seem to refute that adjective too.
This idea of "charming" seems fitting in the case of this teapot. The scale of "a tea party of two" simultaneously conjures images of good friends having a cup of tea, teatime with my grandmother, and the tea party for two shared by the Mad Hatter with the March Hare. This last image is shocking as well as charming depending on your viewpoint. I would say Christopher Dresser's teapot is not so shocking retrospectively as it once might have been, but instead is somewhat "retro" in a charmingly edgy kind of way. I do have to ask the question I ask of all teapots though... does it pour without dripping? Because that is the true charm of a teapot. A teapot that drips is just about as functional an object as Meret Oppenheim's Fur Lined Tea Cup.
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