Alfred Hentze: Ceramic Art Tiles and Plates
Alfred Hentze is an emerging artist from Guatemala. He is not really a potter or ceramist in the strict sense of the word, and he has no formal training or background in 
ceramics. Technically, he is a decorative painter whose canvas happens to be either terra cotta or a white majolica base.
Hentze’s art tiles and plates are not utilitarian vessels or functional objects in the traditional manner. They are strictly ornamental pieces, and such a departure from the production of household items signals a change in Guatemala, where Hentze is at the forefront of this new direction.
Hentze integrates texture, form and color, much like his own country’s indigenous textiles. The outcome is a sensual and tactile effect.
The stylized decorative surfaces of the Lágrimas and Alas series present a mystical and religious puzzle of sorts. Hentze uses multi-tile compositions as stepping-stones in a pictorial way of suffering and redemption. It is a Christian pilgrimage through lush and color-saturated landscapes. The trail leads from human tears at the foot of the Cross to angel wings and the beatific vision. The sources and references are all familiar yet fresh and unpredictable.
Hentze is becoming known to a much larger audience. His artworks have broad universal appeal and transcend regional geographical labels.