Glasstress. A Transparent Border Between Mimicry and Mimesis

Abstract

The article analyses the modern artistic process that began in the middle of the 20th century within the framework of the "craft + art" concept on the example of glassworks. The author covers two periods in the development of Murano glass. The first period is associated with the names of O.Kokoschka, P.Picasso, M.Chagall, M.Ernst, Le Corbusier, A.Calder, F.Leger, L.Fontana, H.Arp, G.Braque. At that time, an attempt to master the new plastic language of modern art space was undertaken by E.Costantini, the founder of one of the Venetian glass workshops. In the late 1940s, Costantini formulated the concept of joining a new artistic idea and technology, refined over the centuries, in Venetian glass. The new image of Murano glass of the late 20th - early 21st century is associated with the Berengo Studio, founded by Adriano Berengo in 1989. He practically adopted Costantini’s concept and invited outstanding contemporary artists: Ai Weiwei, Thomas Schütte, Jaume Plensa, the Kabakovs, Cesar, and others to work in the Murano workshops. The author analyses the “glass as an object of high art” concept on the example of the Glasstress. A Window to the Future exhibition, held at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The author believes that some artists formally exploit Venetian glass technologies and a high presentation platform, presenting works devoid of artistic significance. In this regard, the author draws on the philosophical concepts of mimicry and mimesis, believing that mimicry, in this case, is aimed at the space of high art. It reflects innovations in the artistic image and the search for a new creative method associated with the use of new material. In turn, the author believes that in the same context, a number of works can be described as mimesis - a kind of pretence, a certain result of imitation without artistic transformation.