Batman 1998

This is Lino Tagliapietra's Batman, a glass sculpture, and it's like a superhero's mask frozen in mid-transformation. I can imagine Tagliapietra coaxing these shapes out of molten glass, knowing just how far to push it before it hardens, each gesture quick and deliberate. The cool blue arcs rise with a liquid grace, flowing into warm amber lines that vibrate with an inner light. There’s this feeling of duality, where one side is the inverse of the other. Look at the ridges catching the light; they remind me of brushstrokes, as if he’s painting with light itself. The texture and color play off each other, creating this sense of movement and balance. I see echoes of other glass masters, and yet, Tagliapietra's vision is singular. It's all one big conversation, isn't it? Artists talking to each other across time, inspiring each other to see the world in new ways. It's a kind of alchemy.