Free Form Ceramics

The formes libres (free forms) objects created by Atelier Capron were an organic departure from the classical ceramic styles of the late 1940s that were typical of Vallauris, and the fresh curvoilinear shapes had tremendous possibilities in defining a new period in design. Capron first molded objects in shapely forms and glazed them black, experimenting with surface detailing. Soon he experimented with colored glazes, for which he became associated , and the possibilities became endless.

Capron Designed hundreds of molded vases, goblets, lamps, plates, ashtrays and liquor bottles in varying themes and presented them in twice yearly collections in Paris and Vallauris. Among the styles were two that became signatures motifs of Atelier Capron: the >i>pave, or cobblestone; and the raye (striped) pattern, created using a paraffin technique during the glazing process. Hand-painted figures of bulls and medieval peoples adorned the formes libres objects as well. Animals, plants, the sun, and the human form play a large role in the “free forms” shapes.