A New Masterpiece in Glass at CAM
Last night the Cincinnati Art Museum unveiled a remarkable new piece of sculptural work by glass artist Karen Lamonte who was there from her home in Prague for the event: "Seated Dress Impression With Drapery Life Size".
It was a visually memorable moment, the sculpture covered in a purple drapery which, when pulled away revealed another drapery below, this one in glass, white and glowing with light, a life-sized figure seated but absent, leaving behind a glass dress and drapery like the memory of a person.
Its a common, even universal human experience, the way clothing, perhaps after a loss, evokes memory of a person--a grandfather's favorite jacket, a mother's dress and so on. Lamonte's stunning art evoked that feeling almost immediately after unveiling, its first impression being a material visualization of memory itself, the way loss over time can involve sadness and beauty side-by-side.
Art gets labeled as "contemporary" or "traditional" etc. But Lamonte's art reminds us that these labels are conveniences rather than limiting. Her sculpture is both contemporary and traditional, both modern and classical in its drapery and figurative form; which goes back to its universality, the way it connects with human experience and the way we remember.
Make a special trip to see and experience this new addition to CAM's world-class collection. For more information and pictures, here's a link to CAM's website.
It was a visually memorable moment, the sculpture covered in a purple drapery which, when pulled away revealed another drapery below, this one in glass, white and glowing with light, a life-sized figure seated but absent, leaving behind a glass dress and drapery like the memory of a person.
Its a common, even universal human experience, the way clothing, perhaps after a loss, evokes memory of a person--a grandfather's favorite jacket, a mother's dress and so on. Lamonte's stunning art evoked that feeling almost immediately after unveiling, its first impression being a material visualization of memory itself, the way loss over time can involve sadness and beauty side-by-side.
Art gets labeled as "contemporary" or "traditional" etc. But Lamonte's art reminds us that these labels are conveniences rather than limiting. Her sculpture is both contemporary and traditional, both modern and classical in its drapery and figurative form; which goes back to its universality, the way it connects with human experience and the way we remember.
Make a special trip to see and experience this new addition to CAM's world-class collection. For more information and pictures, here's a link to CAM's website.
