Most people see broken glass as not a good thing. It is usually seen as, a now-needing-to-be-replaced window, or one less glass in the cupboard, or even something potentially dangerous that could cause injury. Well, Swiss contemporary artist, Simon Berger, can see something in broken glass that other people do not--that in the breaking of glass, and all the resulting fissures of finely cracked lines, one can create detailed portraits of people, animals, and objects. An example of his unique method of art, Untitled, 2022, is shown above. Who knew that such stunning visual artwork could be made out of broken glass! A carpenter by trade, Simon's first sculptural works were made in wood. He was also interested in using discarded items, and spent time experimenting with vehicle parts. In trying to figure out what to do with an old car windshield, his idea for working with glass was born. He created his first glass picture in 2016, and has been shattering his art ever since! His technique is similar, but in reverse, to the technique of shading in art. In shading, the artist uses a pencil to create depth by coloring over and over the same area so it will have a darker value. The lighter areas, such as the bridge of a nose, are only slightly filled in with pencil. To create this same kind of depth with his art, Simon breaks the areas of glass that are to be highlighted over and over again, giving that section a much whiter area to create a 3-D appearance, while leaving the darker areas less cracked, sometimes even untouched. He uses a hammer and laminated safety glass, and varies the distance and amount of pressure from the hammer blows in order to create different types of cracks and contrast. After years of practice, Simon Berger's art is able to show us, that sometimes what can appear as a weakness--like the fragility of glass being able to break, can also be something's greatest strength as well. We just have to be able to see things differently.
Untitled, 2022 Untitled, 2021
Photograph of Simon Berger at work
Art piece from the Shattering Beauty exhibit, Museo del Vetro, Venice, Italy, 2023
Portrait of Kamala Harris, National Mall, Washington D.C., 2021
Watch Glass Ceiling Breaker, video by National Women's History Museum
You can see more information about this artist and his very unique style of artwork by clicking here on My Modern Met.
On a personal art note, if you are nearby the Cambridge, Wisconsin area in August, you can check out some of my recycled magazine collages at the Art Hub Gallery during "Art on Main"(Aug 2-3), or at Art Hub's $100 & Under Art Show(Aug 2-30). For more information, click here.
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