How to appreciate glass art

The appreciation of glass art is no different than the appreciation of other art forms. Within the viewer there is a possibility of obtaining spiritual enjoyment, a sense of happiness, and/or a greater understanding of the world in which we live. It is hoped that the appreciation of glass art will enhance the quality of life of the viewer.

Whilst glass artists often enjoy the delights of creativity, it is possible for the viewer may enjoy this creativity simply by viewing the work. This enjoyment by the viewer is often similar to the feeling they may have when looking at beautiful scenery.

“Appreciation” is a term similar to “enjoyment”. Mr. Zhong Yi-Min(1988) described the difference between appreciation and enjoyment in his book “Craft appreciation”: Enjoyment is to enjoy the beauty itself and not necessarily having any motivation. It can be self accomplished, an individual and pure experience. On the other hand, appreciation is to aggressively recognize and distinguish the value of it.

In Yuang Dynasty, Writer Mr. Sha Weng-Yen described “appreciation” in his book “Painting and drawing treasuries”, chapter one, pointing out that being an appreciator, one has to fulfill the following conditions:

• To be talented and experienced, with comprehensive reading and a good memory.
• Having the ability to create or to be an artist oneself, or with an in-depth study of arts. To be a contemporary appreciator, one needs also to study sociology, science, biology and history.
• One has profound love to fine arts. It is out of nature, rather than arty.
• Be able to appreciate art in an objective and reasonable point of view without being paranoid and distortion.

Picture 4-1-1

The reason I propose “enjoyment“, instead of “appreciation” is that “appreciation” approaches the more serious aspects of art such as judgment, predication and critiques. “Enjoyment”, on the other hand, is rather more relaxing, simple and enjoyable. Just as Mr. Zhong Yi-Min’s description “Enjoyment is more the enjoying of beauty itself”.

“Beauty” comes from external stimulation either abstract or realistic, and exists within your heart. It is a feeling, and will be a multiple feeling. But the most important is to accept such feelings with heart and meaning, so that aesthetic sensibilities exist (Picture 4-1-1). We know that love is blind, in the eye of the lover, his beloved is a beauty, which is the best example when one have a heart and feel love. One can express beauty through words, poetry, essays, art, craft, drama, and movies. However, sometimes you get a feeling that you just can’t express by words or can only express part of it. Also, the sense of beauty will get its limitation when there is more beauty then one can take in.

Fly Dragonfly

It is not necessary to enjoy only the master pieces, since it is not necessary to strictly define what art is. As long as one perceives it is beautiful, it is art. The ones who define art are artists and viewers themselves. The ones who have heart can enter the temple of art at will. The ones that have will can fulfill and beautify one’s heart.

You can also enjoy glass craft in daily life, discovering the beauty of functional or non-functional objects. By learning relative knowledge, accumulating aesthetic experience to achieve aestheticism or even to create as an artist, you can express your heart and weave actions of art. “Fly Dragonfly”, the picture on the right, is one example.

Using your heart to notice the glassware will help to open a way of enjoyment. By observing cups, bottles with soda, juice or wine, drinks with ice, frosting wine bottles, vases, and fish tanks, combined with the heart and imagination, you can fulfill the content of enjoyment.

We may once be moved by scrutinizing and the touch of one thing, or may just use it for granted without any specific feeling. We may personalize the rain drops on the window, observing their loose and close relationship, their happiness and sadness. We might think of stringing the beads on flowers and making them into a necklace, and hang it on branch! We may break the glass in caution, and sigh passively, or accidentally get inspiration from poetry, song or painting and use this inspiration to create art. It is the matter of mindset. To one who has a heart, trees on the road can be one’s companion, flowers can sing with me; whereas one can give only a passing glance to things without any feeling.

It is human nature to be aesthetic and clean. Whenever there is a stain on the face, a blur on the wall, or dirt on a window, one will automatically want to clean it. This is a natural reaction to dislike dirt and disorder. On the other hand, facial make up, space decoration and wall brushing are kinds of decorative impulse for fear of emptiness. These all are human instincts. We can conclude that there is a common ground to the sense of beauty. On the other hand, the reason the subject that a sense of beauty must exist objectively elements of aesthetic. If we can identify each of them, we will experience deeper sense of beauty. Aesthetician thus induced so-called “Theory of beauty” or “Principle of beauty” in order to explore the path to aesthetic. One can follow this principle to create art, or appreciate art and beauty of nature that thus enrich one’s aesthetic sensibility.

Fuse and roll-up style 4-2001 Australia Klaus Moje

We can sense an art piece both by its concrete existence “form” and abstract existence “content”. “Form” is the shape and pattern that constitute the looks of a work. It is the arrangement and integrated application of elements including shape, color, material…etc. Chang Su-Yun and Wen Weng-Long (2001) mentioned in “Records of narrated historical image of Hsinchu glass artists”: “one needs to perceive the techniques and materials of works produced at that age to truly taste the beauty of the works. Then you will know where to find beauty and gradually explore the beauty of Hsinchu glass art.” This argument explains that the content of the work is all-inclusive. “Connotation” is a spirit of works that interpreted through the “form” of the work. There for, we conclude that the viewers can enjoy an art work from form, color, material and texture. We discuss those elements as the followings: