la poesia nella vetro
LINO TAGLIAPIETRA
From the place of glass & islands
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and lagoons... 3
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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. 13
“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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Petra 2013 10.25 X 9.5 X 3.5”
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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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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: â€œâ€Ś 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.â€? 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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Ombre della Sera Tenda sul Rio 2013 36.5 x 29.5 x 2�
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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 1996 UrbanGlass 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 1997 Urkunde 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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