Lucio
Bubacco was born on the island of Murano (Venice), in April 1957.
He began as a child with an old craftsman, playing with the glass
and making small animals. In 1971, when he was 14, he completed
his first works with the "lume" technique, inspired by
Greek, Roman and Byzantine classic art, by medieval and renaissance
theater and by "La Commedia dell'Arte."
Son
of an artist, his father Severino Bubacco was a very important Maestro
glass artist. In 1980 he began studying anatomical drawing with
the Venetian artist Alessandro Rossi. His style takes on a new dimension;
The movement of the figure becomes the central theme of his work.
His
masterpieces are crafted in Murano glass, also called "soft
glass" because of its high soda content, which is famous for
its characteristic brightness and ideal for the "lume"
process.
His
technical experience and knowledge of glass color compatibility
allow him to create unique works: figures entirely hand-formed and
incorporated in blown-vases or in casting.
His
works transcend traditional uses and conceptions of the "lume"
technique. They collocate motive tensions and plasticity in a context
of narrative surrealism, to create highly original pieces derived
from his personal sensibility.
................................................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.
.(Excerpted
from an article by Louise Berndt)
The
text below is excerpted from Venice Master Artisans by
Norbert Heyl and Cristina Gregarin
"It
is a well-known fact that in contemporary art the artist does not
necessarily have to have great manual dexterity. Lucio Bubacco,
however, combines both technical and manual skills in his highly
original compositions. Before him, no-one had created human figures
in movement using lampwork, so when he began to do so he had no
reference points.
He
invented a new way of working glass. "It was something new,
and that is partly why it was successful". But this is not
the only novelty that has made his works worthy of being exhibited
in the most famous galleries of the world. There is also the fact
that they contain references to Mediterranean culture.
'Technically
speaking, creating movement with glass is very complex. I have made
things that I had seen in museums but that had never been made with
this material. I was fascinated by Egyptian frescoes and by Greek
bas-reliefs. I wanted to portray this human culture in glass'.
Lucio
admires the beauty of the images inspired by pre-Christian religions,
and admires the dynamism of late Hellenic art. 'My inspiration comes
from the ancient world, but I then use the material to interpret
it following my own train of thoughts".
The
figures in almost every one of Bubacco's compositions are in perfect
equilibrium, giving the impression that a single gesture might destroy
them. Similarly, his subjects reveal situations of extreme daring,
giving the impression that everything might end either in catastrophe
or in happiness.
Both
his subjects and their formal expression bring us face with the
very risk that is inherent in life. And it is this extraordinary
blending of shape and meaning, of technical skill and culture of
images, that Lucio Bubacco's art is expressed".
|
|