Starlight Seaform Macchia Original Signed Glass Contemporary Art

Dale Chihuly - Starlight Seaform Macchia
Portland Press Studio Edition
2004
Handblown glass
Approx. 5 3/4" x 9" x 7"
Signed: Chihuly PP04 (for Portland Press 2004)
Excellent condition, please request a condition report for full details
Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

In 1981, Chihuly started one of his most celebrated glasswork series inspired by an Italian word for “spot” or “blur”. Named by Chihuly’s friend Italo Scanga, the “Macchia” series does not only allude to the colorful spots covering the outside of glass vessels. It embodies a broader sense of the word, implying the spontaneity of the glass blowing process and its parallels with nature. Vibrant color stains that cover each “Macchia” piece make the essence of this body of work, present in the initial sketches and in the late pieces as well.

The development of “Macchia” was marked by the need to celebrate nature and art at the same time since Chihuly wanted to use each of the 300 colors he had in his hot shop. He also needed to engineer the way to keep these colors molten together, but separated, so he installed a thin, translucent layer of white glass - a “cloud” - in between the outer and the inner shell. The outside could thus remain covered in glass frit, while the inside could celebrate a different hue making space for stunning contrasts.

About the color combinations, Chihuly once said: “I loved the…ones that seemed to make the least amount of sense, like the really crazy ones—purple and chartreuse.” And indeed, all “Macchia” pieces share immaterial, bright color characteristics.

A wonderful example of the series, “Starlight Seaform Macchia” from 2004 represents a celebration of complementary hues, distributed across the vessel. Unlike the oddly coupled nuances of many other “Macchias”, this one displays high contrasts of midnight violet and lemon yellow, supported by the opaque yellow lip and transparent green dots. The color changes its opacity towards the base, while the connecting spiral is light green. The wavy form appears rather dynamic, animated by light shining through the piece, reminiscing a particularly lively starry sky.

“Starlight Seaform Macchia”is approximately nine inches wide, hand blown and signed by Dale Chihuly as a part of the Portland Press Edition.

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About Dale Chihuly

One of the most famous contemporary glass artists in the world, Dale Chihuly is best known for his monumental sculptures and installations. He is the name behind the spectacular ceiling at the Bellagio’s flower garden in Las Vegas and the creator of the Rotunda Chandelier at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Glasswork of Dale Chihuly is considered one of the most desired collectibles between the decorative arts devotees today.

Despite his initial indifference towards education, Chihuly has spent a lot of time in school, obtaining both scientific and artistic degrees in sculpture from prestigious graduate schools. He displayed a proclivity for interior design and craft early on, but his true passion was always in the glass. He was a Fulbright Fellow in the late 1960s and an apprentice at the Venini Glass Factory in Venice. Mastering the art of Murano glasswork, he continued the experiments with glassblowing and thus became one of the people who brought the ancient art of glassblowing back into the spotlight on an international scale.

Monumental and small-scale artwork of Dale Chihuly is present in over 200 most renowned decorative art collections today, while the artist holds twelve honorary doctorates!

The most illustrious series in his work are Cylinders and Baskets he created in the 1970s; Macchia, Venetians, and Persians from the 1980s, Niijima Floats and Chandeliers created in the 1990s; and a more recent one, Fiori from the 2000s.

For over 30 years, Dale Chihuly has been acting as an artistic director of his team of craftsmen, since he was incapacitated in two accidents, which left him blind in one eye and incapable of holding the blowing tube. This change allowed him to see the possibilities of glasswork on a much broader scale, while still maintaining his recognizable style. Reply