This gallery will blow your mind.
Vibrant twists and pulls at the Chihuly Garden and Glass.
Simplistically, the scene is just glass and garden conveniently located underneath Seattle’s Space Needle and across from Frank Gehry’s EMP. However, the work of Chihuly and his students will leave an impression.
Colours will loom over you as you walk through the exhibit. The visually thrilling gallery draws you through each room, sparking your imagination piece by piece.
Today, Dale Chihuly’s work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide. Injury prevents the artist from producing with his own two hands, but he continues to “wow” crowds of all kinds by mentoring his apprentices into producing his astounding pieces.
This artist has a great deal of experience, in 1968 he went to work at the renowned Venini glass factory on Murano Island in Venice, Italy. There he continued his studies by observing, researching and exercising their approach to glass blowing.
“By 1971, Chihuly cofounded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State.” states his website, “With this international glass center, Chihuly has led the avant-garde as glass as a fine art.”
Although his work is daunting, and much larger than most of the work of glass artists such as Rene Lalique, Daum or Émile Gallé, I wouldn’t consider the art form unheard.
Those same artists achieved nature through the glasswork of Art Nouveau, and some even expanded into Art Deco as well.
Is Dale Chihuly avant garde?
Well, I don’t hand out the term so easily. However, I believe that his work is that of a futurist, finding age old beauty and reproducing it because beauty doesn’t get old. You are challenged by the rehashing of great designs, the idea itself has been done before, but the gull to bring the art form to a new decade is executed in the most original, immense and alluring behaviour.
By the time the 80’s were at dawn, Chihuly was blinded in his left eye after being in a head-on car accident where he flew through the windshield. But the glass-blower persevered with his work, until he dislocated his right shoulder in 1979 while bodysurfing.
Since, a lucky team of glass-blowers have aided Chihuly in his effort of the development of his fine glass work. He has been the recipient of many awards, including twelve honorary doctorates and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Walking through Seattle’s Garden and Glass, you begin with a wall of bright blue spears pointing to the dark ceiling. As you continue gazing upon the creations, you are guided through dark rooms highlighting the pieces that hang above you. Each one even more intriging than the last. The more you look the more detail becomes apparent.
One room is virtually bare, but beams hold a thick glass ceiling laden with bright recreations of the sea life of the Pacific Northwest. Like a fly to a buzzer, I was caught, I sat on the lonely bench and stared above me. Chin up I imagined the perspective of a mermaid, and how versatile their perception is.
The ability to have your audience’s mind reimagine a thought they had dismissed years ago because it was folklore is quite amazing. Thought provoking, but those colours bring on innocent thoughts like the relativity of a mermaid, or maybe something else.
Some may question the authenticity behind the recent work of Dale Chihuly, claiming that because he can only design his work it is hard to imagine him of nothing but a designer.
What is the difference? If you walk the Seattle Exhibit you’ll understand that each piece is vibrant, intriguing and truly great work.
Andy Warhol had others colour in his portraits but was considered an artist before a graphic artist.
Regardless, this place will blow your mind.
