Saturno 2011

Lino Tagliapietra's 'Saturno' is a glass sculpture that captures light and motion in a dizzying, colorful dance. The bands of color, arcing around the central vortex, feel almost liquid, as if they're still in the process of being formed. You know, it's funny, as a painter, I'm always thinking about the physicality of my medium, the way the paint sits on the canvas, but with glass, there's this whole other dimension of transparency and reflection to play with. In ‘Saturno,’ the interior is an almost monochrome swirl, like a galaxy viewed through a telescope, contrasting with the bold stripes on the outside. It makes me think of Dale Chihuly, of course, but there's something uniquely playful in Tagliapietra's work. It's like he's saying, "Here, let's bend the rules of what glass can do!" Art is just a conversation, right? Each piece building on what came before, always reaching for something new.