Is there hope after destruction? If we try to look at the positive side of life, we realize that destruction isn’t the end of everything. Swiss artist Simon Berger proves that there is life after destruction through his shattered glass art. In fact, Berger believes that art can emerge from the destruction of the familiar. By smashing glass panes, this innovative artist creates remarkable portraits out of the glass cracks.
Contemporary artists have soared beyond conventional mediums and traditional techniques in art. Today, even the most unusual of things can be used as alternatives to canvas for painting. Berger, in particular, chooses glass panes as his canvas. Instead of using paints to draw portraits, he uses a hammer and a chisel to create cracks on the glass. As a trained carpenter, he dexterously can handle carpentry tools to create stunning shattered glass art.
“Glass is a material that has so much potential in art,” Berger said. “[Using my workmanship experience,] I have found a technique which is probably the most unique in the [entire] world.”
How did he create this amazing glass portrait? By using a photo of a model as his initial guideline, he then sketches the outline on the glass panel. After which, he marks the spots that he wants to crack. He prefers to use laminated glass panel as this type of glass doesn’t easily break apart after being hit. But even with a laminated glass, he still needs to be careful with the hammer. Furthermore, a meticulous attention to detail is necessary to render the portrait.
Simon’s shattered glass art project titled Defekt was recently exhibited at Philipp Brogli’s gallery Artstübli in Basel, Switzerland. And photos of the extraordinary glass portrait scattered on social media like a wildfire. Passersby initially think that the glass portrait was a sticker. But a closer look made them realize that the portrait was drawn by actual cracks on the glass pane. Of course, it needs to be captured and shared on the internet for the world to see.
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Source: Simon Berger | Artstübli