If you are one of the school of skeptics who thinks art is largely inaccessible and pretentious, think again.
Think and then go to the Hood Musuem to see its latest exhibit -- "Grueby Pottery, a New England Arts and Crafts Venture: the William Curry Collection."
Consisting of more than 100 original works of pottery, the collection demonstrates that art need not be avant-garde to be appreciated.
The collection, acquired by William Curry '57, is probably one of the best known examples of New England art pottery.
The pieces are carefully-crafted works, meant to be functional, as well as beautiful.
The collection of vases, bowls and architectural tiles produced by the Grueby Faience Company represent what Adrienne Hand, director of public relations for the museum, calls "a focused look at the Arts and Crafts movement."
Its works typify the guiding philosophy of the movement that rejected the elaborate tendencies of the Victorian era as well as the factory-produced products popular at the turn of the century in favor of a more honest style.
Susan J. Montgomery, guest curator of the exhibition and curator of the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, said the movement encouraged the straightforward use of materials, quality hand craftsmanship and "an integrity of form, decoration and construction to that material."
This wholesome honesty of style is everywhere apparent in the handsome shapes of the Curry collection, whose pieces range in size from rather large floor vases to miniature vessels only inches in diameter.
Still, all are enlivened by graceful vegetal designs which include blossoms of irises, daffodils, narcissuses, as well as poppies and daisies.
Leaves figure prominently in the design of most of the vessels, wrapping their base, defining their shape, or decorating their surface.
Hand marvels at these creations which feature local greenery. "It's like nature indoors," Montgomery said.
"These pieces are over a hundred years old and still seem as fresh as the day they were made."
The forms are not intended to be ideal representations of nature, but evocative of their naturalistic spirit.
The graceful shapes of the pottery are dressed with the fluid lines which suggest, but do not necessarily define, flora.
The serene feeling these works convey is merely enhanced by their subtle, yet sensuous colors and textures.
Many vessels have a matte finish, while some are glossy and the most interesting, marbled with color.
Some of the most interesting glazing work, seen for example in the works on nautical themes, enlivens the Grueby architectural tiles, which were, after 1927, the company's sole product.
These tiles have a wider range of colors and stylistic use of line which inform their energetic compositions.
The observant visitor will derive satisfaction from subtle variation in design and glazing technique which differentiate pieces in an exhibit which, at first, seems rather uniform.
The spare beauty of each piece extends to each viewer the opportunity for reflection and a Zen-like appreciation for its marveous simplicity.
In this way, the cool, stilled atmosphere of the second floor gallery at the museum seems transformed and the visitor experiences the harmony of nature indoors in his quiet contemplation of this unique exhibit.
