Best known for his expressionistic ceramic self-portraits that were perceived as a commentary on humanity's shortcoming, Robert Arneson is considered one of the best artists. Robert was born in Benicia, California, in 1930, to parents who found it easy to encourage their child in pursuing art (Lewis-Nash, 2017). The parents had identified his considerable talent from quite an early age and in his teenage years. At a young age, he would be hired to draw cartoons that were used by the Benicia Herald (Kingsley, 2019) . The art did not stop even after he joined college and started drawing comic strips and cartoons. Through his professors' encouragement in college, Robert Arneson grew to become one of the most influential artists in the world, particularly for his distinctive and whimsical ceramic pieces (Champa, 2016). Through his arts, he influenced how people perceived sculptures and ceramics by creating quite a novel dimension in ceramic design (Vizcarrondo-Laboy, 2020). He influenced art history because he was unique and did not accept the established rules of different forms of art, without necessarily conforming to others' thoughts about his works.
It is no doubt that Arneson was significantly influential in the world of arts due to his application of ceramics as a sculptural medium. Initially, his ceramics and clay were perceived as a craft or hobby that needed no serious attention. According to Kingsley (2019), by the time Arneson joined the college in 1962, ceramic art forms were perceived as art versions of the traditional pottery shapes such as plates, vases, pots, and tiles. However, Arneson perceived ceramics to be more than a form of a hobby as the rest of the population. He considered it a significant and severe state of the art, and from the beginning, his work remained to be more than the traditional shapes of pottery as deemed by society (Champa, 2016). Therefore, he is recognized as the founding father of ceramic sculpture due to his influence in the field that was initially considered a hobby and nothing much. Additionally, he created traditional ceramic works such as cookie jars and teapots that were always differently styled and different, just like all of Arneson's pieces. Most of his works were either controversial or offensive, and he liked it that way (Kingsley, 2019). This can be seen in the initial images he made that involved toilets and everyday objects that people use in their lives, such as soda bottles. There was uniqueness in his work that he was proud of, and wanted to influence the people from such essence. It was a novel direction that he took the ceramics, opening it up as a whole new form of art for exploration by the artists.
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It is essential to note the versatility of Arneson's creativity, with sculpture as his primary medium. His versatility in his creativity influenced people around the world. Moreover, he used ink and pen, watercolors, and other mediums in his work (Lewis-Nash, 2017). He loved ceramics but would opt for a different medium to convey his messages to his art lovers. Most of Arneson's works had some notes, whether it was apparent or not, setting his works apart from other ceramic artists at the time (Kingsley, 2019). Most of his works are humorous and whimsical, to the point that people could easily not consider him to be a serious artist, and that came through in much of his artwork.
Notably, Arneson influenced the people in how he tackled societal and essential issues through his arts. When he was diagnosed with cancer in 1984, his work continued to influence people through the work's political themes, such as the possibility of a nuclear holocaust, and most of them were quite disturbing to watch (Vizcarrondo-Laboy, 2020). Therefore, he used the sculptures to communicate with the viewers of his work and expressed different views, with a relatively straightforward meaning (Champa, 2016). His ceramics' influence through the sculptures and portraits enabled him to communicate on crucial important issues in society. For instance, he used some of his works to protests things he did not like in the community, particularly something he did not believe in. His work's perspectives made most of his considered inflammatory and political, that some people did not want to be associated with society at the time (Kingsley, 2019). He is remembered for the caliber of his work and the social commentary through his works. He considered himself a crucial part of his everyday life, and this could be seen in his preference for the public display of sculptures where most people in society could enjoy them.
Additionally, he influenced art history and art by involving more people and encouraging them to enjoy his artwork. According to Kingsley (2019), Arneson believed that art should be so that it comfortably interacts with people's everyday lives. He was interested in art that regular people in society could easily associate with, understand, and enjoy (Lewis-Nash, 2017). At no time did Arneson ever stop creating and trying new arts in his medium. He continued exploring the new freedom, influenced by the broad range of artists in different media such as Edvard Munch and Franz Xaver (Champa, 2016). His intense study continued to impact others in the art world differently, enhancing his reputation for cutting-edge art considered social commentary. It played a massive role in the creation of a larger than life career than the lives today. It is an indication of how important his work was and still is in the art community. It is considered a massive contribution to the history of art.
More importantly, Arneson played an essential role in influencing art history by being a teacher. As a teacher, he focused on influencing students and more people in understanding the significance of art history and art. He was a teacher for over four decades, handling the account of skills and appreciation of ceramics in society. Modern artists, such as David Gilhooly, were heavily influenced by Arneson's works (Champa, 2016). Therefore, Arneson influenced art during his time, majorly because of his teaching. He continues to influence modern-day artistry in various ways, particularly ceramic art and public and modern artists' perception.
In conclusion, Arneson successfully rebelled against the traditional functionality of ceramics, and his works continue to be perceived as crucial for functional purposes. In most cases, his works were aimed to serve for enjoyment and decoration strictly. He helped the people understand that ceramics had a special place in private collections, art galleries, and public areas. They serve as decoration and as something usable and concrete, yet they are still extraordinarily spiritual and moving in the modern-day. It is no secret that he established some of the best arts that influenced society differently and continues to influence society until today.
References
Champa, J. T. (2016). Ceramic Presence in Modern Art selections, The. Ceramics Art and Perception, (104), 24.
Kingsley, J. D. (2019). Annabeth Rosen: Broken, Fired, Gathered, Heaped. The Journal of Modern Craft, 12(2), 173-177.
Lewis-Nash, R. J. (2017). Old Fields and New Fields: Ceramics and the Expanded Field of Sculpture (Doctoral dissertation, Oberlin College).
Vizcarrondo-Laboy, A. (2020). Making Knowing: Craft in Art, 1950–2019. The Journal of Modern Craft, 13(2), 195-200.
