Anatra 1999

Here's this incredible glass sculpture, "Anatra," made by Lino Tagliapietra. It’s this fiery orange, swelling and tapering like a dancing flame. I can almost feel him coaxing it into being. I bet he was thinking about the lagoon, Venice and all that incredible light, the way the reflections shimmer and warp – maybe that’s why it’s called ‘Anatra,’ the Italian word for duck? The body of a duck is a similar shape! Just look at the way the colors shift and bend, those delicate stripes swirling around the form like currents in water. It reminds me of Frank Stella’s early pinstripe paintings, or even the later work of Philip Guston – so many artists playing with lines and volume. It's a testament to the ongoing dialogue between artists across mediums and generations. Each piece informs the next, an endless conversation of form and feeling.