Jan 15
A few years ago I had the opportunity in Boston to see a traveling exhibit of Dale Chihuly’s glass installations while they awaited construction of their permanent home in Seattle. I’m really fascinated by how Chihuly’s conceptualizes and builds his pieces and so I was excited to see these works this December at the Seattle Center in the completed Chihuly Garden and Glass.
Layers of brilliant glass in the “Mille Fiori” exhbit
The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme. This month we are discussing Color! Color has enchanted artists and art lovers for centuries and we’ve picked some exciting topics; you can find links below for the rest of the group’s posts. I love bright colors, contrasting color, subtle transitions of color, and rich tones, but this month I want to talk about one particularly unique color which is intrinsically tied in my mind to entire collection of objects. I have always been fascinated by Ancient Egyptian blue Faience.
The iconic Blue Hippopotamus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the most well-known blue faience pieces. It was created in approximately 1981–1885 BCE in Middle Egypt.
Have you ever unexpectedly stumbled on something amazing while traveling? The Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows is just that! It is a free collection of art tucked into the Navy Pier in Chicago and is really a treat.
So are the blue glass evil eyes just tourist kitsch?
You’re probably seen this symbol before: the light blue and white circles set in a dark blue glass base. This stylized eye is meant to ward off the “evil eye”. Transcending culture and religion, there is a belief throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East that because of jealousy someone could wish bad luck on a person. This ill-will is passed through a focused glance or “evil eye” hence the need for charms to ward off the bad will.
