Types of Glass Art
Most people associate glass art with the dazzling Chihuly’s sculpture that was displayed at the Kew Gardens in 2006. However, glass is a highly versatile material which can be used for as daring creations as the one that was seen at the Kew Gardens as well as for impressive pieces of art which can actually be used to decorate your home. But it is also true that the finest pieces of glass art are usually seen in public buildings and museums rather than private homes.
As already mentioned earlier, glass can be used to create a variety of different artworks which are usually divided into:
Glass sculptures. These can be as large as the mentioned Chihuly’s sculpture and as small to be put on a bookshelf. They come in a variety of styles, shapes, colours and motives, and can replicate just about anything including humans forms, animals, plants, buildings, fruits, objects, etc. A special category are abstract sculptures which are particularly appealing for their unusual yet highly attractive look. These go particularly well with contemporary decor and furnishing.
Glass wall art. Like their name suggests, glass wall artworks are intended as wall decoration and alternative to the usual wall decorative items such as paintings. They are available in many different shapes, styles and designs as well but since glass art established itself as such only in the second half of the 20th century, contemporary style is most common.
Decorative glassware. This type of glass art could actually be used as glassware but it is intended exclusively for decorative purposes. On the other hand, some industrially made glass products such as glass bottles, bowls, jars, plates and other objects can be used as decorative items, especially those that are made by the use of the traditional glass making methods. However, they do not fall into the category of glass art as they are made by a group of factory workers rather than an artist. Older pieces of glassware which can be seen in museums are not considered glass art in its true meaning either because they were originally created to have a function rather than to serve as decorative items.
Glass jewellery. This is one of rare types of glass art that can actually be used for practical reasons. Glass jewellery is available in a number of styles and designs, and often strikingly resembles gemstones.
Decorative glass vases. Attempts to give vases an artistic value can be noticed already in thousands of years old pieces but just like antique glassware, these vases were not created purely out of artistic intuition but to have a practical value. Glass vases created by modern artists could be used to hold flowers for instance but firstly, they look beautiful enough without any additions and secondly, they are too expensive to be used for practical purposes because glass items which are used for everyday activities are at increased risk of getting broken.
Other glass artworks. Many glass artists like to experiment with the traditional forms and objects such as paper weights, lighters, vanity items, ashtrays, etc. However, these artworks are created exclusively for decorative purposes as well.