Chihuly over Venice
The artist Chihuly in Venice, near Santa Maria dell Salute,1968. He was the first american glassblower to work in the prestigious Venini factory on the island of Murano.
Artist at work
Dale Chihuly (born September 20, 1941), is an american glass sculptor. His works are considered unique to the field of blown glass, “moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture”. He said:
“I was dreaming that wouldn’t it be great to take the Chandeliers to Venice where the tradition of chandeliers comes from? I thought I would pick countries with great glass traditions [in different parts of the world]. . .and make [Chandeliers] in each of those countries. [I decided]. . . I would go [to glassworks in Finland, Ireland, and Mexico]. . . with no preconceived ideas. The results would be impossible to predict and each Chandelier [blow]. . . would be unlike any other. We would break down the cultural barriers and dispel the secrets that have so long restricted and insulated the great glasshouses. In the end, the Chandeliers, made from thousands of individual parts and representing the work of hundreds of glassblowers, would be sent to Venice —the Wizard of the Sea—the most mysterious and secret city of all.”
In September 1996, Dale Chihuly successfully concluded his monumental project, Chihuly Over Venice, with the installation of 14 immense glass Chandeliers throughout the city of Venice. Some Chandeliers were placed in architectural spaces, but the majority appeared around Venice’s canals. Composed of hundreds of organically-shaped elements, ranging from elaborate curls, to cones, to spheres, the brilliantly-colored and crystal-clear Chandeliers were supported on metal structures that enabled the heavy and massive works to be installed at a variety of sites such as outdoor gardens, terraces, bridges, loggias, courtyards, over cisterns, and indoor locations. Some Chandeliers, freed from their supports, floated in water. Shining by day throughout the city, the Chandeliers came alive at night, emanating light from within to become fantastic and magical apparitions, glowing with the evanescent beauty and heroic pathos that is the hallmark of Chihuly’s art.
Chihuly Over Venice is also a meaningful tribute to the medium of glass, to its history and development in Venice, and to its future as a material capable of as great a scale, complexity, and significance for sculpture as it has become for architecture.
Chihuly has always recognized his own debt to Venice, and to the inspiration he has derived from the city itself, as well as its glassmaking traditions. Chihuly Over Venice was, Chihuly’s reply to tradition and his thanks to an important mentor. The history of glass in Venice, especially around the time of its greatest achievement during the Renaissance, is a fascinating topic for anyone interested in glass.
Dale Chihuly – Niijima Floats, – mercato del pesce di Rialto – VENICE – ITALY – 1996
Dale Chihuly – Onion – canals of Venice – VENICE – ITALY
Dale Chihuly – Chandelier Loop – palazzo di Loredana Balboni – VENICE – ITALY
Dale Chihuly – Chandelier – canals of Venice – VENICE – ITALY
Dale Chihuly – Chandelier – chiostro di San Apollonia – VENICE – ITALY
Dale Chihuly – sculpture – Guggenheim Museum – VENICE – ITALY
Dale Chihuly – palazzo di Loredana Balboni – VENICE – ITALY
Dale Chihuly – Chandelier – church of Santa Maria della Salute – VENICE – ITALY
Dale Chihuly – Chandelier – Squero di San Trovaso – VENICE – ITALY
Dale Chihuly – Chandeliers – canals of Venice – VENICE – ITALY