For years, I thought the mystery was the molten glass, but the magic is the light.
I’m reluctant to put quotes around these words because I think I’ve done a poor job of remembering them word for word, but this is the essence of one quote I read on the wall of the Musée des beaux-arts in Montreal on Friday. It’s a lesson for me, a reminder, that wisdom lies not in the content of things, but in experience and the senses. It’s not the glass that makes Dale Chihuly’s work amazing (though the scale of some of these works is amazing when you consider it is all made from handblown glass) … it’s the way it captures the light and projects a feast of colours for mind, body, and soul to experience.
“Utterly Breathtaking” is the epithet of this exhibit. The words are true but they fail to capture the true experience. Dale Chihuly and his blown glass are not a secret; his works have been exhibited around the world and his pieces are in many public places … but if you haven’t seen one of his installations, this is a trek, and an experience, you don’t want to miss ….
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- Crystal Light
Amazing, the photo’s as well as the art!
Thank you Jane. I feel like an imposter posting such beautiful pictures. It didn’t take a huge amount of talent on my part … when you have art like that to photograph, it makes the world and all the photos shine. Truly, I’m glad you liked them. The art is amazing. Thank you.
I’m sure it took lots of talent! I’m just a snapper rather than a photographer, but I would love to have the skill to capture what my eyes actually see! I’ve actually just been researching cameras to upgrade from my iphone to actually taking ‘proper’ photo’s. I found something called a bridge camera, that could be just the next step before getting a more scary camera 🙂
Jane x
I will say that the camera made the difference in my being able to capture these moments that I saw. It was proof positive of the advantages of a camera (and SLR) with a very high ISO setting. There is no other way I could have taken those photos without a tripod. I’m not familiar (at all) with a bridge camera, but my advice is to buy something that you feel comfortable using, carrying, and which fits in your budget … then just go out there an take thousands of pictures and perhaps take a lesson or two … and just have fun seeing if you can capture your eye. It’s a great hobby. 🙂
Beautiful photos. I saw Dale Chihuly’s works in a few places, but the most memorable experience with his creations was many years ago, when I visited exhibition in the Museum of Jerusalem. The works were placed in the garden, surrounded by ancient stones and in between archeological findings – the contradiction between old and new only made his art shine even more. His art is tantalizing.
Thank you so much. It isn’t very hard with his works to take beautiful pictures. I’ve read that he’s transfixed with taking photographs of his own pieces. It’s one of those rare instances, I think, where photography which is itself all about the light can capture a moment and bring it to light (sorry for the pun). It was amazing to see….
It is interesting as well about the Jerusalem exhibit. There was mention of a few of his more famous exhibits that defined him and some his pieces from them were on display: his chandeliers over Venice and his work in Jerusalem both stood out for me. Sounds like you lucked out there with that amazing experience.
Yes, I was very lucky to have been able to visit that exhibition.
Your post made me check YouTube for clips from that exhibition. The one below made me even more aware of the complicated logistics involved. Not that many artists are able to handle that, and he seems so nonchalant about it! Makes one appreciate him even more…
Thanks for sharing that. Fascinating how he constructs the pieces. I was wondering what structure was behind the chandeliers etc. Really gives you an appreciation that this art is as much sculpture as it is blown glass. It is so many things, really … I’ve never seen anything else like it.