Now I have a new place to visit next time I am on the east coast: the Corning Museum of Glass. I am currently taking a class at the Getty Villa on the ancient art in the collection, so I was there this past Wednesday when the Corning team of glass blowers arrived as part of the exhibit, "Reflecting Antiquity: Modern Glass Inspired by Ancient Rome." We watched as they showed us how they replicate ancient glass designs. Of course, I've seen glass-blowing many times before, but this was with a twist (so to speak). I was impressed with the teamwork involved, how many times the glass goes in and out of the kiln and the speed with which everything has to happen before the glass cools... no time for thinking. Apparently it takes six years of training to achieve this level of proficiency. You can watch this event Thursday–Monday, October 25–November 5, 2007, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
The glass exhibit itself is also fascinating. I've seen it three times. I like it so much I'm tempted to buy the catalog (photography is not allowed in this particular exhibit). But do I really need another art book? And shouldn't I be focusing on tiles and mosaics? A couple of years ago I saw the exhibit at the Getty Center, "The Arts of Fire, Islamic Influences on Glass and Ceramics of the Italian Renaissance." I do own that book. (And now as I am flipping through it again, on page 94 there is a gorgeous ewer in enameled and gilded glass. I've had a bisque teapot sitting in front of me for weeks, waiting for inspiration before I start painting it. This gives me an idea.)
When I was in Boston ten years ago there was a splendid glass exhibit, "Glass Today, by American Studio Artists" at the Museum of Fine Arts. I bought that catalog because I was amazed by the extraordinary designs. It was my first introduction to glass as a pure art form. On that same trip, we visited the Sandwich Glass Museum, in, you guessed it, Sandwich, Massachusetts. Looking at the website, I believe they have expanded since my visit, but at the time I was intrigued by the collection of historical glass of that area.
I've always been fascinated by glass in one way or another. As a child I collected small glass animals, long gone now. One of the beauties of glass is the way it interacts with light (hence, the operative word "reflective" in the title of the exhibit) and photographs on the printed page can never do it justice. So, I recommend seeing the Getty exhibit in person, and in the meantime I'll cogitate on the pros and cons of adding this catalog to my collection.
From the Getty website: Reflecting Antiquity is the first major exhibition to examine the impact of the rediscovery of Roman glass on modern glassmakers. It features Roman vessels as well as modern glassmakers' reproductions of these ancient pieces, and vessels inspired by ancient ones.
(Photographs copyright roslyn m wilkins)
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