Untitled #3-10-83 KAN

Artist / Maker Dale Chihuly (American, b. 1941)

Date1983

MediumBlown Glass

Dimensions15 x 17 x 10 1/2 in. (38.1 x 43.2 x 26.7 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Paul and Anastasia "Stacy" Polydoran. In the permanent collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberUM2005.372

Status

Not on view

Collections

Sculpture

Label TextBy 1981 Dale Chihuly began the "Macchia" series, using up to three hundred colors of glass. These wildly spotted, brightly colored forms are dubbed “the uglies” by his mother, but they are eventually titled Macchia, Italian for “spotted,” by his friend Italo Scanga. The University Museums’ large Macchia is "Untitled #3-10-83 KAN" and was created in 1983 and the smaller, a studio production work is "Cinnamon Macchia," c. 2001. _____ "Stylistically during the past forty years, Dale Chihuly's sculptures in glass have explored color, line and assemblage. Although his work ranges from the single vessel to indoor/outdoor site-specific installations, he is best known for his multi-part blown compositions. These works fall into the categories of mini-environments designed for the tabletop and large, often serialized forms displayed in groupings on pedestals or attached to specially engineered structures that dominate large exterior or interior spaces. Chihuly and his teams have created a wide vocabulary of blown forms, revisiting and refining earlier shapes while at the same time creating exciting new elements, such as his recent Fiori, all of which demonstrate mastery and understanding of glassblowing techniques. Earlier forms, such as the Baskets, Sea forms, Ikebana, Venetians, and Chandeliers from the late 1970s through the 1990s, continue to reappear with fresh variations and within new contexts. Since the early 1980s, all of Chihuly's work has been marked by intense, vibrant color and by subtle linear decoration. At first he achieved patterns by fusing into the surface of his vessels "drawings" composed of prearranged glass threads; he then had his forms blown in optic molds, which created ribbed motifs. He also explored in the Macchia series bold, colorful lip wraps that contrasted sharply with the brilliant colors of his vessels." Adapted from the exhibition catalogue Dale Chihuly 2002, Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey.

Locations