Dale Chihuly
Emerald Green Blanket Cylinder with Cerulean Blue Drawing1984
colored glass
12 1/2 x 8 x 8 1/2 in.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance and museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Fund
As the title suggests, color is the singular feature of this simple glass-blown cylinder and the reason for its being. The cylinder is inspired by textiles. Colored glass rods are incorporated into the "fabric" of the form to create loose "drawings." A consummate graphic artist as well as master glass blower, Dale Chihuly is obsessed with spontaneity and with vivid, saturated colors. His art celebrates excess. It is an aesthetic that shouts, "Too much is not enough."
