"Fire and water.... the one all heat, the other all humidity -- who will deny that they both exhibit, each in its own way, some of the highest qualities of Art?" That was the Literary Gazette 's verdict in 1831 on JMW Turner and John Constable, probably the most admired of all British landscape artists. Almost exact contemporaries whose work is being celebrated at Tate Britain in Turner & Constable: Rivals & Originals , a thoroughly engrossing exhibition that bathes you in the drama of Turner's golden sunlight, contrasted with perhaps the more understated charms of Constable's cloud-filled skies. "The Sun is God" are supposed to have been Turner's last words, and throughout this show you can't get away from his solar worship -- one striking watercolour records The Sun Rising over Water . And that's it, that's all there is, but to be frank, you don't really notice the water. It's the bright yellow Sun that holds your eye,...
Is there a more spectacular exhibition on in London at the moment than Dale Chihuly's breathtaking blown-glass creations at Kew Gardens? We doubt it.
For Chihuly: Reflections on Nature, more than 30 works have been installed in the grounds and glasshouses at Kew, and the result is, for the most part, absolutely stunning.
Summer Sun stands outside Kew's Palm House overlooking the lake, a huge and dazzling fire of red and orange flame that seems to writhe with its own inner life.
And just inside the main gate, Sapphire Star, a shimmering modern explosion of blue and white, set in a landscape that evokes classical English parkland, recalls a globe thistle, Echinops ritro Veitch's Blue, to be precise, for the green-fingered among you.
It's Kew's Temperate House, the world's largest Victorian glasshouse and a marvel of design and engineering, which reopened last year after a five-year renovation, that's the focus for much of the action, or should we say interaction with the gardens.
Outside stand two of these Opal and Amber Towers, their tentacles spiralling into the air. So delicate and so fragile, in colours that blend with the structure of the glasshouse.
Inside, you can climb to the walkway that runs around the Temperate House for a view that reveals a range of often quite subtle glasswork that Chihuly has arranged amid the greenery. Here Chihuly's take on ikebana -- that minimalist Japanese art of flower-arranging -- contrasts with a new spectacular hanging work that he's created specifically for the space.
As you wander round the gardens, you keep coming on new surprises. This Scarlet and Yellow Icicle Tower was largely hidden from view in the direction we approached, until we were almost on it. It's one of those sculptures with a complete wow! factor, and here it seems to sit perfectly in the landscape, the Palm House glimpsed through the trees behind it.
Unfortunately, it's also almost directly under the Heathrow flight path. Planes come in on their approach for landing about every two minutes, so low that you can easily see which airline they're from. It's very loud....
Not all these art works are on a huge scale. Sometimes you'll stumble upon naturalistic grass-like installations amid the beds, beguiling in their curves. They can be flame-red; here, near King William's Temple, it's turquoise that dominates.
One of the most spectacular examples of Chihuly's work is in the Water-Lily House, where this wonderful white glass echoes the plants emerging from the pond amid the lily pads.
In an indoor exhibition space, you can see how Chihuly's glass has developed down the years. A vast array of his smaller works, beautifully lit, show shells and baskets among the favoured forms. The colours can be very intense.
And you can buy some relatively small examples for yourself. They're not cheap.
Not everything works. We found Nijima Floats, a collection of brightly coloured glass spheres set in the raked gravel of Kew's Japanese Garden, a bit crass and rather out of place. Surely Zen gardens are all about simplicity and calmness, a chance to empty the mind? This felt like an attack of the beach balls.
But overall? It's a cracker of an exhibition, a feel-good extravaganza. Just make sure you check the weather forecast first: You'll want to see the sunlight shimmering on these sculptures; it's not a show for a drizzly, overcast day. And then your next question: Can you fit Summer Sun in between the greenhouse and the water feature in your back garden....?
Kew's main Victoria Gate is probably closest to the Chihuly exhibits, and it's just 500 metres away from Kew Gardens station on the London Underground's District Line and the Overground.
Dale Chihuly, Sapphire Star, 2010
Dale Chihuly, Opal and Amber Towers, 2018
Dale Chihuly, Ikebana, 2011-18, and Temperate House Persians, 2018
Dale Chihuly, Scarlet and Yellow Icicle Tower, 2013
Dale Chihuly, Neodymium Reeds and Turquoise Marlins, 2019
Dale Chihuly, Ethereal White Persian Pond, 2018
Dale Chihuly, Oxblood and Chartreuse Persian Set with Orange Lip Wraps, 1998
Dale Chihuly, Nijima Floats, 1992-2018
For Chihuly: Reflections on Nature, more than 30 works have been installed in the grounds and glasshouses at Kew, and the result is, for the most part, absolutely stunning.
Summer Sun stands outside Kew's Palm House overlooking the lake, a huge and dazzling fire of red and orange flame that seems to writhe with its own inner life.
Outside stand two of these Opal and Amber Towers, their tentacles spiralling into the air. So delicate and so fragile, in colours that blend with the structure of the glasshouse.
Not all these art works are on a huge scale. Sometimes you'll stumble upon naturalistic grass-like installations amid the beds, beguiling in their curves. They can be flame-red; here, near King William's Temple, it's turquoise that dominates.
Not everything works. We found Nijima Floats, a collection of brightly coloured glass spheres set in the raked gravel of Kew's Japanese Garden, a bit crass and rather out of place. Surely Zen gardens are all about simplicity and calmness, a chance to empty the mind? This felt like an attack of the beach balls.
Practicalities
Chihuly: Reflections on Nature continues at Kew Gardens until October 27. Kew opens daily at 1000 and closing time varies, but until the end of July it's generally 1900 Monday to Thursday and 2000 Friday to Sunday. Adult tickets for entry to the gardens, including the exhibition, are £16.50 if you buy online (£18.15 including a Gift Aid donation), which you can do here, or £18 at the gate (£19.80 with a donation). The display has been so popular they'd run out of maps of the locations when we visited, but there were plenty of staff to point you to the next sculpture.Kew's main Victoria Gate is probably closest to the Chihuly exhibits, and it's just 500 metres away from Kew Gardens station on the London Underground's District Line and the Overground.
Images
Dale Chihuly, Summer Sun, 2010Dale Chihuly, Sapphire Star, 2010
Dale Chihuly, Opal and Amber Towers, 2018
Dale Chihuly, Ikebana, 2011-18, and Temperate House Persians, 2018
Dale Chihuly, Scarlet and Yellow Icicle Tower, 2013
Dale Chihuly, Neodymium Reeds and Turquoise Marlins, 2019
Dale Chihuly, Ethereal White Persian Pond, 2018
Dale Chihuly, Oxblood and Chartreuse Persian Set with Orange Lip Wraps, 1998
Dale Chihuly, Nijima Floats, 1992-2018
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