 |
“The just-published scholarly book is a watershed event in the critical discourse about glass." Andrew Page, Editor of GLASS Quarterly.
"I truly believe that your endeavor will be historically rewarded.” Tim Whiten, Artist |
 |
 |
 |
The book was successfully launched on October 14, 2016 at the Royal
Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto with an
introductory lecture
presentation.
For over 8 years, I have conducted intense research to acquire more insight into how people perceive glass and how it has been and is used within the arts. The result of my research is my book entitled, GLASS Virtual, Real.
This book is not yet another traditional historical or technical publication on glass, but a quest into the relationship between the use of glass within the arts and the intrinsic qualities of the medium and our perceptions of it. Although I do refer to the history and science of glass, I only do so in function of its relevance to the use of glass in contemporary art. What makes this publication unique is that the whole thesis builds up towards an insightful vision on how glass can be relevant within a contemporary art context.
Ultimately, the entire book aims to explain the recent increase in use of glass within contemporary art and to investigate the effectiveness of glass as a relatively new medium. The last and largest chapter is completely devoted to this and gives a plethora of examples of work from leading contemporary artists such as Gerhard Richter, Josiah Mcelheny, Jaume Plensa, Fred Wilson, Jan Fabre, Wim Delvoye, Joseph Kosuth, Dani Karavan, Ann Veronica Janssens, Donald Lipski, Gabriel Barcia-Clombo, Javier Perez, Larry Bell, Koen Vanmechelen, Maya Lin, Mona Hatoum, Dan Graham, Mario Merz, Robert Smithson, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Luciano Fabro and many more.
GLASS Virtual, Real is for sale in major bookstores and online but you can also order directly from my site. And if you wish, I will sign your copy. After you click Buy Now below you can pay with credit card, or PayPal.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
GLASS Virtual, Real
Table of Contents
Foreword and Acknowledgements Introduction
1 Glass in the twentieth century: an overview
Glass at the beginning of modernism
The origins and significance of the Studio Glass Movement
Glass outside the Studio Glass Movement
2 Glass during modernism and postmodernism
Modernism and postmodernism
The complexity of glass
Glass and modernism
Henri Matisse and the Chapelle du Rosaire
Marcel Duchamp and The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors,
Even
Glass and postmodernism
Modernism and postmodernism reconsidered
Glass: a true postmodern medium
3 A history of myths, craft and the art of painting
The origin of glass: the beginning of a myth
Earliest history: from myth to magic
Roman glass:from magic to function
The Renaissance: more function and decoration
Stained glass: a different story
Glass, science and philosophy
Glass and the art of painting
Gerhard Richter: a link between past and present
4 A scientific approach to glass
The definition of glass
The structure of glass
The complexity of glass
States of matter
Is glass a liquid or a solid?
The fourth state of matter?
5 Glass in a contemporary context
A material immateriality
The interface between reality and virtuality
The real in-between and the glass/virtuality symbiosis
A new look at contemporary glass
Visual virtuality
Emotional virtuality
Rational virtuality
Historical virtuality
Virtuality
6 Epilogue
Bibliography
I would like to thank the Glazenhuis in Lommel, Belgium, The Dutch
association 'Vereniging van Vrienden van Modern Glas' and Sheridan
College, Oakville Canada for their support!
