Text byBernard Courcoul,
from the catalogue of the 4th Biennial Exhibition, .... Pressigny Museum in Tours.

In the quest for a style which best expresses the underlying aspects of their personalities, it is not uncommon for well-established artists to repeatedly question the orientation of their work to such an extent that directions previously pursued may become obsolete.

If they have in the past concentrated on glazes, should they not learn to entrust the finished result to fire alone? If they have hitherto preferred the raw surface, should they not then try enriching it with precious glazes...?

Such dilemmas necessarily reflect the total commitment required of any potter who seeks to reach the essence of his craft, to fulfil his purpose as an artist and to define his place in the creative process.

But does art serve the purpose of defining or expressing one’s personality, or is it a mediator between other registers of spiritual and aesthetic development? If Marie-Laure Guerrier, whose work is devoted to exploring the qualities of glazed ceramics, has perhaps managed to go beyond this syndrome of continual questioning, it is no doubt because she considers that only by giving her individual presence a secondary importance can she allow a work of art to exist in its own right. Abandoning all personal glorification, she becomes a vector for forces which owe their existence to, but transcend, the individual.

Strong-minded and strong-willed, she has followed this path to create a complex idiom of ceramic forms, colours and textures which speaks to us with elegance, discretion and an almost intimidating perfection.

Marie-Laure Guerrier’s ceramics, particularly the porcelaines, are remarkable on several counts. Precise turning reveals a patiently acquired mastery of concise forms and clean profiles, and pots are often decorated with meticulous fretwork panels, graceful fluting or finely drawn lids. In addition, we must admire her luminous glazes - perfectly crackled celadons, transparent or matt, and the deep pearly sheen of white or black. Light received and light returned: every element contributes to the naturally harmonious play of light which shines from the centre of this creative adventure.