Modern Home

The words modern, post-modern and contemporary are often difficult to distinguish when applied to vases. That is because the features that identify a modern floor vase as being modern are as varied as human personalities. What is considered modern is something that is the artist’s personal conception of what is beautiful. It does not conform to any academic art styles and may be considered purely decorative in purpose. This does not prevent modern pieces from being artistic. But the art is usually secondary to the visual appeal of the piece and modern pieces are most often more casual in nature.

Modern floor vases as repeated geometrical patterns

Most modern pieces will sport geometric graphics that are obviously decorative and light in nature. If you see a vase with multicolored bubbles against a plain, light-colored background, that vase will most probably be modern. So will a vase that is decorated with lacy patterns or embossed with a network of tiny bubbles resembling a sea urchin’s skin. However, if there is any effort to stylize or distort the actual images, then the potter is probably attempting to produce something in a specific artistic idiom. For instance, you can find lines rendered with unusual color contrast and intensity in samples of Art Deco. An impressionist vase will, on the other hand, dab the lines on in pastel colors.

Modern floor vases with imitation textures

You will encounter modern vases made of coarse bamboo fabric which are painted with metallic lacquer. There are also modern vases that are given the distressed look of antiques. The technique called ‘thick lava’ is sometimes used to simulate the look of tree barks or the skin of prehistoric dinosaurs. Vases may also be inlaid with different types of materials to heighten the interest in their design. For instance, wooden, ceramic and porcelain pottery may be inlaid with wood slices or pieces of metal or mother-of-pearl. The possibilities of modern textures are only limited by the vision and technical limitations of potters.

Modern floor vases with popular images for popular occasions

Renditions of post card images on pottery will also probably be modern. If you find vases with Valentine or Christmas or Mother’s Day motifs, chances will be that they are also modern ones. Images that look like they were drawn by grade school kids are certainly examples of modern floor vases.

What is considered modern style in vases can be identified as those having designs that are distinctly personal or whimsical. In creating modern floor vases, the potter/artist is concerned primarily with self-expression, regardless of what the principles of art dictate. Most of the time, they are charming and decorative. These are the types of vases where you would find images of dolls, peppermint sticks, cakes, ribbons, images of Disney characters and cars. They may also be shaped unconventionally, for instance, the folder vases.

For vases that allow you to show your personality, your best option is to get modern floor vases. Most people enjoy doing their room décor in this style.