la poesia nella vetro

la poesia nella vetro
LINO TAGLIAPIETRA
From the place of glass & islands
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and lagoons...
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...that were and always will be
destinations for centuries
of travelers and trades...
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Enchantment unlike any other on this earth:
Venice is truly an oasis of Art and Imagination.
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You continue to embody her well,
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Grazie Mille, Lino.
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Petra 2013
10.25 X 9.5 X 3.5”
“A perfect poem is impossible.
Once it had been written, the world would end.”
-Robert Graves
Perfection may be impossible to attain, but in its quest we tap into
creativity, make discoveries, and bring about beauty. Complacency
with near-perfection is the enemy of the creative spirit. The word
poetry comes from the Greek poieo, or “I create,” and is an apt
metaphor for the work of glass artist Lino Tagliapietra because he
believes that the creative work of tomorrow holds the potential to be
even more sublime than the triumphs of today. He is undoubtedly the
maestro in the hot shop, an unassuming but palpable presence whose
coarse hands seem possessed by butterflies nimbly manipulating
the material. He affably breaks into operatic singing in the midst of
working. He effortlessly conducts an immensely talented team as
they move together rhythmically to execute the master’s vision. The
recipient of copious accolades, he possesses an egoless willingness
to share his knowledge. But his true creative genius lies in being a
student—of global cultures and geographies, of art history, and of
glass techniques old and new.
With a tendency towards reinvention comes a quintessential quality
that is inimitably Lino. The Ancient Greek legend of the Phoenix,
illustrated in the impossibly elongated Fenice, is apropos in describing
Tagliapietra’s approach to his art. Like the phoenix, he is cyclically
reborn and carries his ancestry within him, obtaining new life from the
ashes. Fenice’s serpentine shape echoes both the graceful bird-form
and a billowing wisp of smoke, while the bird’s plumage is colored with
fire’s spectrum. After being born from the fire, Fenice undergoes coldworking as well. Notching the surface of the glass provides endless
nuance; the palette perpetually shifts as light refracts through the
subtle layers and angles of the sculpture.
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Like the Phoenix, Tagliapietra carries his Venetian patrimony with
him but breathes new life into glass tradition with artful shapes and
cutting-edge methods. He also distinguishes himself from other
Venetian masters with his outward-looking globalism. Through his
world travels teaching classical and new methods, he finds creative
and technical inspiration. The Australia series glimmers with the
intense colors of that landscape, pays homage to the country’s fauna,
and recalls the native markings of Aboriginal art. In one Kookaburra
(inspired by his 2012 trip to Australia), layers are blown one into the
other to create depth of pattern and color on the abstracted form of a
proud bird’s chest. At the shoulders of the vase, an under layer of fine
striped murrine is enveloped with larger, folded-in murrine. Drip-like
cobalt feathers melt down its torso, culminating in a downy pattern
of crimson, black, and, blue. Similarly, the Fuji series is made of layers
of blown elements—some of the murrine are fine, wispy stripes while
others are more boldly graphic. Dramatic strata and swirling elements
are frozen in an elaborate dance. The exaggerated tear-drop shape
of the Fuji works recalls traditional Japanese ceramics brought to
spectacular heights, while the coloration reflects the ceremonial hues
of Japanese kimono.
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Ombre della Sera Tenda sul Rio 2013
36.5 x 29.5 x 2”
Tagliapietra does not simply offer literal translations of native ideas
in glass; he uses the essence of traditional forms, colors, motifs, or
markings as springboards for his creative pursuits. He brings this same
philosophy to the inspirations in his own backyard. In Dinosaur, organic
asymmetry evokes the prehistoric Apatosaurus. Defying gravity, the
red, yellow, and blue glass arches gracefully upward and forward into
the long tendril of his neck. Tagliapietra has spoken about the Dinosaur
works, saying: “… often times I envision them as gentle, aquatic
animals. Since I live in a place surrounded by lagoons and water, fish and
other aquatic creatures are inspirational to me. With this series, I have
tried to integrate the strength of the dinosaur with the fluidity of the
fishes that inhabit the waters of Venice.”
Another ubiquitous animal in Venice is the seagull, which Tagliapietra
bewitchingly conjures in his Ala series. Long blown vessels are placed
onto forms while still hot to achieve the arches, cooled in the annealer,
cut to achieve the wing shape and, finally, cold-worked for surface
detail. They possess an abstract minimalism of form and color, evoking
the feeling of the dramatically hovering birds while infusing them with
a simple beauty that bespeaks his love of his homeland.
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La Porta Blu in Campo dei Frati 2011
47.75 x 29.75 x 1.75”
Tagliapietra’s fused panels epitomize his amalgamation of Italian
inspiration and cutting-edge technique (he spent two years working on
them at Bullseye Glass in Portland as he researched the compatibility
of materials), while also demonstrating his understanding of art
historical precedent. As a young person, he was introduced to
Modernist Abstract Expressionists such as Mark Rothko (1903-1970)
and Barnett Newman (1905-1970) at the Venice Biennales. Modernist
masters broke away from Old Master tradition by highlighting the
qualities of their media and purposefully manipulating form and
color to achieve symbolic meaning. The pictorial language of Rothko
and Newman is clear in works like La Porta Blu in Campo dei Frati and
Muro Dietro La Chiesa, where carefully selected geometric shapes
and colors evoke places from the artist’s life. The stunning Tienda da
Piacere demonstrates the technical complexity of these fused panels;
Tagliapietra composes a glittering Byzantine-like pattern of various
murrine then surrounds it with a luscious milky blue frit.
John Keats said of poetry that it should “strike the reader as a wording
of his own highest thoughts, and appear almost a remembrance.”
There is something elevated about each of Tagliapietra’s masterful
creations, which are surely poesia nella vetro—poetry in glass. The
work, like the man, is joyous, generous, and seemingly effortless. In
fact, it represents a rare talent who has devoted himself for decades
to perfecting the art of glass. Tagliapietra seems to understand that
his has been an incredible journey thus far, but he also continues to
recognize that tomorrow holds the possibility of creating something
even better.
Jeanne Koles is an independent museum professional who writes for the cultural sector.
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Stella di Neve 2013
18.75 x 18.75 x 1.5”
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Meduse 2013
15.75 x 15.75 x .5”
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Farfalla 2013
15 x 12 x .5”
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Lipari 2013
19.75 x 19.5 x .75”
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Emozioni, 2013
18x18x0.5
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Tenda de Piacere 2013
43.75 x 23.25 x 1”
“A new aesthetic was provoked in Lino when he was freed from
the constraints of the furnace. Now the visual attribute striking
the viewer is a combination of ethnic weavings and embroideries,
Aboriginal imagery, Byzantine stylization ,
and street graffiti.” [1]
~ Susanne K. Frantz
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Muro Dietro La Chiesa, 2013
48.75 x 28 x 1"
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Plume Volanti 2013
35.75 x 59 x .75”
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Kookaburra 2013
24 x 15.75 x 16"
“Lino’s understanding of the material itself, coupled
with all the virtuosity of his hot glass manipulation
– and above all else, his creativity –
makes him not just exceptional,
but truly unique.”
~ Dante Marioni
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Kookaburra 2013
31 x 10.75 x 10.75"
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Kookaburra 2013
41.75 x 11 x 11"
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Fuji 2013
45.75 x 18.75 x 8.25”
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Kookaburra 2013
29.5 x 10.5 x 10.5”
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Kookaburra 2013
17.25 x 12.25 x 12.25"
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Fireworks 2013
18.75 x 13.5 x 6.5”
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Kookaburra 2013
19.5 x 15 x 15.25”
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Sydney 2013
22.5 x 18.75 x 15”
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Kookaburra, (detail from pg 40) 2013
29.25 x 11.75 x 11.75”
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Kookaburra, (detail from pg 41) 2013
22.5 x 18.75 x 15”
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Fuji (detail from pg 41) 2013
38.25 x 15.5 x 9.5”
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Dinosaur 2013
47 x 22.5 x 8.5”
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Fuji 2013
43.75 x 23.25 x 1”
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Kookaburra 2013
19.75 x 17 x 17"
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Kookaburra 2013
21.5 x 10.75 x 8”
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Fuji 2013
39.5 x 17.75 x 8.25”
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Tasmania 2013
17 x 12.5 x 3.25"
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Tasmania 2013
8.75 x 20.75 x 2.75”
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Groviglio 2013
12.5 x 5 x 4”
Throughout his career as an artist, Lino Tagliapietra has been an
example of the necessary passion for discovery that one needs to grow
and express. An autodidactic and a collaborator, Lino has influenced
generations of artists and technicians working with glass today. His
own inspiration comes from being receptive to life experience, and
seems to germinate within his dreams.
We are truly grateful have called Lino a friend for almost two decades.
Throughout this time, we have witnessed his continually open and
inquisitive mind and seen his joy for the good and simple things in life:
listening to Maria Callas in the car; preparing a delicious meal with
simple ingredients (even though it requires very special salt!); looking
at the watery reflections of autumn leaves in New England or colorful
housed in Burano. He is always ready with an open-hearted gesture of
help to a stranger or ready to engage in an intense political discussion.
All of these moments seem to contain illuminated grace and poetry…
much like the art he creates with his heart and hands.
Jim Schantz and Kim Saul
November 2013
Citations:
[1] Susanne K. Frantz, Lino Tagliapietra in Retrospect:
A Modern Renaissance in Italian Glass, ©2008 Museum of Glass
[2] Dante Marioni, Making a Goblet is a Language, Ibid
Design: Kim Saul
Essay: Jeanne Koles
Photos: Russell Johnson
la poesia del vetro;
the poetry of glass
The Art of Lino Tagliapietra
© 2013 Schantz Galleries
3 Elm Street, Stockbridge Massachusetts
www.schantzgalleries.com
413-298-3044
LINO TAGLIAPIETRA
Museums and Art Institutions
CHINA: Shanghai Museum of Glass, Shanghai ·
DENMARK: Glasmuseum, Ebeltoft ·
FRANCE: Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris ·
GERMANY: Kestner Museum, Hannover ·
ITALY Aperto Vetro, Venice · Biennale di Venezia ·
Palazzo Franchetti, Venice · Palazzo Grassi, Venice ·
JAPAN: Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo ·
Kitazawa Museum of Arts, Takane-cho · Tokyo National
Modern Art Museum, Tokyo · Toyama City Institute of
Glass, Toyama ·
MEXICO: Museo del Vidrio, Monterrey ·
THE NETHERLANDS: Danish Royal Museum,
Copenhagen · Museum Boijmans, Rotterdam ·
Museum Het Paleis, The Haag ·
SWITZERLAND: Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Losanna ·
UNITED KINGDOM: Victoria and Albert Museum, London ·
UNITED STATES: Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA · Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA ·
Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA · Columbia Museum, Columbia, OH · Columbus Museum of
Art, Columbus, OH · Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY · Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH ·
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI · Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA · Hunter Art Museum,
Chattanooga, TN · The Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA · M.H. de Young Memorial Museum,
San Francisco, CA · Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, New York, NY · Mary and Leigh Block
Museum of Art, Chicago, OH · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY · Mint Museum of
Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC · Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL · Museum
of Art, Washington State University, Pullman, WA · Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
· Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX · Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA · National Museum of
Ceramic Art and Glass, Baltimore, MD · Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL · Orlando
Museum, Orlando, FL · Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA · Racine Art Museum,
Racine, WI · Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, DC · Scottsdale Museum
of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ · Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA · Spencer Museum of
Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS · Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA · Toledo Museum of
Art, Toledo, OH ·
Selected awards and recognitions
1968-76
Cofounder and chief maestro at La Murrina,
Murano, Italy
1968
Borsella d’Oro Award, Murano, Italy
1972
Grand Prix in lighting, Barcelona Trade Fair,
Barcelona, Spain
1996
Rakow Commission for Excellence in Glass
Award, Corning Museum of Glass, NY
1996UrbanGlass Award for Preservation of
Glassblowing Techniques, NY
1996/98 Venezia Aperto Vetro, Guest of Honour,
invited guest, Venice, Italy
1997
Glass Art Society Lifetime Achievement Award
1997Urkunde Goldmedaille, Germany
1998
Libensky Award, Chateau Ste Michelle Vineyards
and Winery and Pilchuck Glass School, WA
2000
Humana Distinguished Professor, Centre College,
Kentucky
2001
Metal for Excellence in Craft Award, The Society
of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
2004
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Centre
College, KY
2004
The President’s Distinguished Artist Award, University of The Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2004
Artist as Hero Award, National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia, PA
2004
Artist Visionaries! Lifetime Achievement Award, Museum of Arts & Design, NY
2006
Distinguished Educator Award, James Renwick Alliance associated with the Renwick Gallery
of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC
2007
Cristal Award, Museo del Vidrio, Monterrey, Mexico
2007
Foreign Honorary Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, MA
2009
The IIC Lifetime Achievement Award, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Los Angeles, CA
2010
Master Teacher/Master Artist, Hite Art Institute, University of Louisville, KY
2011
Master of Medium Award, James Renwick Alliance, Washington, DC
2011
Honorary Degree, Doctor of Fine Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
2012
Phoenix Award, USA
2013
Visionary Award, Art Palm Beach, FL
Honors Award, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, USA
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Ala 2013
The Individual dimenisons of the Ala range from
10.5 x 44.5 x 4” to 12.25 x 66.25 x 4.75”.
The overall installation size is flexible.
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the poetry of glass
the art of
Lino Tagliapeitra
schantz
galleries
contemporary art
3 Elm Street, Stockbridge
Massachusetts 01262
United States of America
413-298-3044
www.schantzgalleries.com
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