Notes
Ceramics factories, operating at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, received the most guidelines from the contemporary stylistic views set by the English, Trieste, Viennese and Graz factories. In the second half of the 19th century the most widespread artistic style was historicism; at the end of the 19th century, a new stylistic direction took place. It emphasized the simplicity of shapes and decoration, directly following also the prehistoric art. The new style was governed by movements like Arts and Crafts in England. Its influences in applied art had never truly reached Slovenia. In the 1930s, a new style was established in ceramics design, i. e. art deco. Designers of Slovene serial wares did not only include shapes and motifs by following others, but they also incorporated their own ideas and recapped folklore ornamentation. A possible source of individuality may also lie in the abundantly decorated prehistoric ceramics. Therefore, one of the goals is to establish whether the production of Slovene ceramics industry, during the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, may display a connection to the simplicity of the local prehistoric motifs. To compare ornamentation, I had to analyse motifs on prehistoric ceramic, found in 17 Slovene sites and exhibited in Slovene museums at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century and the motifs found on the concurrent Slovene serial wares. The collection of motifs appearing on contemporary ceramics was sorted on the basis of analyzing the production of eight ceramics factories in Slovenia. After inspecting both groups, it appeared that only eight basic motifs could be compared. They represented the simple geometric and universal motifs that come forward in almost every culture. Geometric motifs appear somewhat frequently in the art deco style ceramics. Simplified ornamentation in contemporary serial wares of the Slovene factories therefore, do not directly relate to the prehistoric motifs on ceramics concurrently exhibited in Slovene museums. The return to the simplicity in ceramics design in Slovenia, however, was a consequence brought by following the current central European styles, mostly set by English, Viennese, Graz and Trieste ceramics factories. Individuality in industrial ceramics design in Slovenia is mainly reflected in practise and reproduction of Slovene national motifs as well as in motifs which are the result of close cooperation with renowned Slovene artists. Ceramics accompanies an individual in almost every aspect of life, from the prehistoric period until now and it is the subject of studies in numerous sciences. Ceramics, since prehistory to the early modern times, is traditionally studied by archaeology, contemporary serial wares and ceramic art is studied by art history, whereas products of the folk manufacturers are typically the subject of ethnological studies. Since lines between the fields of studies are often blurred, a complete approach to examine ceramics is starting to emerge. For that reason an efficient analytical apparatus is needed which would incorporate all key elements of the sciences researching ceramics. A prerequisite for a successful interdisciplinary approach is consistent terminology to help accomplish clarity in the scientific discourse. The constructed glossary for studying ceramics introduces consistent terminology and can be used in a wider sense in different fields when researching ceramics. Unified and properly constructed, as well as generally acknowledge terminology, contributes to the progress of science and simultaneously, it contributes to the development of professional vocabulary in the Slovene language. Unified terminology enables consistent organizing and publishing of material and consequently, its way of processing, regardless of the professional field which primarily examines the occurrence in question.