Experiencing Dale Chihuly's Enchanting Vision in the New York Botanical Garden

Text and photos by Shankar Chaudhuri

Dale Chihuly has been one of the pioneers in the development of glass as a fine art. Twenty of his major artworks are on view at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) until October 29, 2017. It has been a decade since his last exhibit was on display in a botanical setting in the New York area.  

Set all over the garden, these works serve both as a complement and a contrast to the surrounding setting with both their diffused and vibrant colors and varied shapes. While several pieces look like an outgrowth of existing plants, others seem to radiate a celebratory mood with their bold colors. Still a few others such as "Red Reeds on Logs" project order out of chaos as tall and slender reeds sprout out of irregularly shaped and disorderly placed logs.

Made of just glass, plastic and water and hand-blown at a Seattle workshop, these artworks with their organic shapes conjure an image of elegance and simplicity that also enable them to seamlessly blend into the environment. They represent a bold statement in harmonizing art and natural worlds. 

The exhibit is an outcome of two years of coordination between the NYBG and Chihuly Studio, which created several brand new glass works specifically for the event.

Sapphire Star

In Sapphire Star each of the hundreds of spires transforms from a rich opaque blue at the center to clear white the tip.  The Star has a soothing appeal that also helps to elevate the landscape.

Scarlet and Yellow Icicle Tower

Using vibrant color and free-flowing form, Chihuly creates this icicle tower in scarlet and yellow that gives the impression of a rising flame. The placement of this in front of the Enid Haupt Observatory serves as an open invitation to explore the treasures inside.

Blue Polyvitro Crystals

In contrast to Chihuly's most works on display at The New York Botanical Garden which are made of blown glass, these individual “crystals” are made of resin. With their bluish-green accent and varied forms, they serve as a perfect complement to the Renaissance style architecture at the fountain in front of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library. 

Float Boat

The Float Boat with its multicolored objects gives the impression of traditional fishing boat laden with the day's catch. The reflection of the boat and its objects in the water enhances the joyous mood. 

Persian Pond and Fiori

The water lily leaves floating on the surface of the water make a striking statement of Chihuly’s vision of a fantasy garden. He had to use a special technique utilizing a special mold in creating the wavy and undulating pattern on the surface of the glass. He had learned the technique in a Venice workshop.  

Macchia Forest

Chihuly Macchia series take his experiments with glass to a new level by employing new techniques to achieve unusual shapes and color combinations. Chihuly developed a technique of layering that prevented the vibrant hues from colors to bleed into one another. The result has been nothing less than spectacular. 

Glasshouse Fiori

A closer look reveals that these works seem very much part of the garden, but at the same time they also stand apart with their liveliness, dynamism and idiosyncrasies. 

White Tower with Fiori

The wavy and whimsical White Tower blends well with other plants around it and serves as a perfect companion for the Pink Trumpets and Cobalt-Pink Spears that surround it.

White Belugas

The White Belugas growing from the garden bed aspires to reach upwards as do the surrounding plants. 

Glasshouse Fiori

These purple plants do not appear as foreign objects but simply as one of a unique variety, taking on the leaf-like form.

Sol del Citrón

Made of numerous disparate forms, Sol del Citron seems to radiate incredible energy and motion.  Within the seemingly unruly forms, there lurks a bold and unified front. 

Red Reeds on Logs

The reeds appear to naturally sprout off the logs and offer a nice and pleasant addition to the landscape. With their tall and slender postures they also offer a nice contrast to the irregular-shaped logs, and seem to offer a statement about how beauty can emerge from chaos.

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