Teapot reflects love for artist

Most of us have a favorite artist, be it Henri Matisse or Georgia O’Keeffe — but how many of us have a teapot with our favorite artist’s likeness in 3-D?

Susan Sloan, 32, of Charlotte has just such a teapot. This whimsical object depicts the face of Marc Chagall as well as several famous images from his paintings, and is her prized possession.

The painted porcelain teapot is “not remotely functional.” It’s rectangular and not meant to be “anything but beautiful.”

It was a gift from her partner, Alan Goldstein, with whom she owns and runs City Art Works at Parktowne Village shopping center, 1630 E. Woodlawn Road. The teapot was made by Noi Volkov, a Russian artist whose pieces typically feature the faces of master painters, such as Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh, as well as selected images from their most famous paintings.

Volkov’s work was on view in 2004 during the Mint Museum’s exhibit on “The Artful Teapot.” The most striking aspect of the teapot is Chagall’s face, a “perfect likeness,” Susan says. A kissing, floating couple based on Chagall’s “The Birthday” serves as the lid. The handle — which serves as Chagall’s ear — incorporates the likeness of the “Green Violinist.”

Her love of Chagall dates back to her teenage years as an exchange student living in Hamburg, Germany. “My host mother introduced me to the work of Chagall, my favorite painter to this day.”
She was drawn to Chagall’s work because of his use of color (”I always refer to that electric, indigo blue”), his playfulness and his loving depiction of everyday Jewish events and personages, such as rabbis and fiddlers.

“Having a European heritage — my grandparents were first generation Austrian Jews — I saw something of my ancestry in Chagall’s paintings.” Among the art she sells at City Art Works, Susan includes Judaica, or Jewish art, such as menorahs, for the celebration of Hanukkah, unusual seder plates for the celebration of Passover, and mezuza, small containers made of wood, plastic or metal that are nailed to the doorposts of Jewish homes.

While she’s not a teapot collector, Susan concludes, “But I do love this Chagall teapot.” She almost sighs. “It’s probably the closest I will come to owning a Chagall.”

(this article was taken from charlotte.com)