From the time of the
rock artists of Arnhem Land, the natural world has always inspired artists,
including glass artists.
Mauro Vianello - Artist-in-Residence at the 2018 Festival of
Glass - is a world respected glass artist and teacher because of his
extraordinary skill in creating glass replicas of animals and plants,
especially marine creatures.
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| Mauro Vianello Two jellyfish |
Mauro’s work draws on that of Leopold Blaschka (27 May 1822 – 3 July 1895) and his son Rudolf Blaschka
(17 June 1857 – 1 May 1939). Glass artists from Dresden, Germany, they were renowned
for producing glass models of plants and sea creatures.
Generations
of Blaschkas had made a range of glass items since the Sixteenth Century,
including eyes, jewellery and scientific equipment. In his spare time, Leopold
Blaschka made glass
models of plants and when Prince Camille de Rohan of Prague saw them in 1860,
he commissioned 100 glass orchids.
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| Leopold Blaschka Sea Anemone |
When
Dresden natural history museum director Professor Ludwig Reichenbach, saw the Blascha
orchids, he realised that glass could be the key to showcasing marine
invertebrates (creatures lacking a backbone). In 1863, Reichenbach commissioned
Leopold Blascha to produce twelve model sea anemones. The resulting models were
a great improvement on those used previously to present such creatures.
At
the time, while durable specimens of vertebrates (animals with backbones) could
be created by stuffing and mounting them, the only way to showcase
invertebrates was to place a live specimen in a sealed jar of alcohol.
Eventually, however, these specimens degenerated into little more than
colourless blobs of jelly. Consequently, biologists used drawings, pressings,
photographs or models in wax or papier maché to represent marine invertebrates,
each with its own drawbacks.
Finding success
On
Professor Reichenbach’s advice, Leopold closed the family business and
established a mail-order business, selling glass marine invertebrates to
museums, aquaria, universities and private collectors. The business was a great
success.
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| Blaschka Tubularia indivisa |
In1880,
Leopold and Rudolf produced hundreds of glass models of sea creatures for the
Boston Society of Natural History Museum (now the Museum of Science) and
Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. In 1886, Professor George Lincoln
Goodale asked Leopold and Rudolf to make a series of glass botanical models for
the Harvard Botanical Museum that he was establishing; and in 1887, the
Blaschkas signed an exclusive ten-year contract with Harvard to make around
4,400 glass models. When Leopold died in 1895, Rudolf worked alone until he
retired in 1938.
The Blaschkas pioneered many techniques and formulas and
experimented with glues, colours and glass. However, neither Leopold nor Rudolph employed an apprentice
and Rudolf left no successor. Consequently, some of their techniques and
formulas disappeared when they died, making it hard to repair and preserve
these intricate antiquities. Even simple cleaning can have devastating effects
on the glue and colour.
Featured Festival of
Glass sponsor:
Drysdale, Clifton
Springs and Curlewis Association Inc.
Members of the Drysdale, Clifton Springs and Curlewis Association (DCSCA) live, work or study in the Drysdale, Clifton Springs and Curlewis areas and they aim to improve local people’s well-being
and to improve the natural, social and built environments. DCSCA members meet
regularly to discuss how the local community is changing; to work with other
local groups and organisations to shape the area’s future; and to represent
local people's ideas and opinions to outside organisations.
In 2011, DCSCA initiated the annual Festival of Glass to link the area with a major cultural/social event; and it established a Festival of Glass sub-committee to run the event.
DCSCA's intention is for the Festival to offer a new and unique showcase to local glass
artists, craftspeople and companies; encourage others to establish themselves
in the area; and encourage local glass companies, artists and craftspeople to
collaborate.
Contacts:
P.O. Box 581, Drysdale Vic 3222
E-mail: dryclifton@bigpond.com
Featured Festival of
Glass sponsor: Glass Fusing
The Festival of Glass committee is very grateful for the
support it receives from the Glass Fusing company. Glass artists Ashley
Williamson and Bec Schaefer established Glass Fusing because, as they put it, “We
decided to sell glass supplies and raw materials because we got tired of having
to buy so many of our supplies from overseas, incurring significant freight
costs, simply because the products were not available locally at reasonable
prices”.
Glass Fusing sells a range of supplies for glass artists doing
fusing (of course!), slumping and casting; as well as tools, kilns, findings,
books and magazines. The company holds a range of System 96 glass, made by the Spectrum Glass Company and Uroboros
Glass. Ashley and Bec have found that, in general, System 96 glass cuts well, fuses well, and tolerates multiple
firings without devitrifying. Glass products in the System 96 collection are extremely stable and consistent, designed
and produced to be compatibly both technically and artistically. “We find that
System 96 glass gives us a great palette of colours”, they said, “as well as an
ever-increasing range, whilst being quite affordable.”
Fusing
Glass p/l, 5 Hammond Close, Oxley, ACT, 2903
Tel. 0421 444 291 Web: http://www.glassfusing.com.au/
E-mail: via web site
Thanks to the City of Greater Geelong and the Bendigo Bank,
our Awards sponsors, our Treasure Hunt sponsors and other local ‘in kind’
supporters.
Latest Festival news
Web site: www.festivalofglass.net.au
Blog (you’re here!): http://festivalofglass.blogspot.com
Volunteering at the Festival
Our Friends of the
Festival online newsletter gives the latest Festival news, with special
emphasis on opportunities to volunteer to help. To become a Friend of the Festival, please send an
e-mail to: festivalofglassdrysdale@gmail.com
Put “Festival Friends” in the subject bar and put your name
and address in the body of the e-mail. Thanks - we look forward to welcoming
you!
