Steel-Blue Witness
Artist
Glancy, Michael
(American, 1950 - 2020)
Date2009
OriginUnited States of America
MediumCast glass, industrial plate glass, copper, silver
Dimensions17 × 20 × 20 in. (43.2 × 50.8 × 50.8 cm)
ClassificationsGlass
Credit LineGift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III
Object number2017.70
Label TextMichael Glancy (American, born 1950)
Steel-Blue Witness
Radiation-wave cut cast glass, Radiation-wave cut industrial plate glass, electroformed copper, and silver, 2009
Gift of Carolyn K. and Richard F Barry III
Michael Glancy’s distinct sculptures are meticulously planned and executed, their glass surfaces deeply cut and encrusted with electroformed metal overlay. The designs are informed by intense inquiry in the microcosms and macrocosms of nature. Repeat patterns that are similar, but not identical, seem to evoke cellular structures under microscopic magnification, or random patterns of planetary scattering viewed through a telescope. They are deeply rooted in the artist’s explorations of scientific and philosophical sources that investigate nature’s micro and macro spaces.
The jewel-like vessel forms rest on flat ground planes, whose sharp edges bisect seemingly infinite patterns. The forms are not always at the center of the radiating pattern, as in this work: “Steel-blue Witness is not only witnessing, it’s participating,” the artist concedes—it is one of his favorite works. Glancy views his sculptures as living things that mature over time. Patinas, freshly applied to new work, reflect a “raw” state of appearance that changes through environmental exposure. This sculpture has acquired its rich patina in the Tidewater region’s salty air.
Status
On view
J. E. Caldwell &Co.
Statom, Therman
Crawford, Michael
