Heinrih Wang: Glass Artist

This man turns glass into something special

Apr.11

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In the 1980s, nobody in Taiwan thought about making art out of glass. Glass factories turned out practical items like windows, mirrors and glasses. But Heinrich Wang and a small glass paperweight changed all that.

A glass paperweight

In 1987, a glass paperweight shaped like a cow fascinated Wang, a movie director at that time. The idea of expressing art through something with form attracted Wang. "I'd always wanted to use my own hands to make something concrete," he said. "The versatility of glass makes it the ideal material for me to create and express my ideas."

That idea prompted Wang to make a big career change. He went to Detroit, Michigan, to learn different methods of making modern glass art. Upon his return in 1988, he and some artist friends set up the first glass art studio in Taiwan. Wang created pieces out of glass that look almost like Chinese paintings. Soon, he and his fellow artists introduced this glass art, which had a distinct Chinese flavor, to the world.

Word Bank:

Turn out (v.) （用機(jī)器）生產(chǎn)
This factory turns out hundreds of cars a week.

Concrete (adj.) 具體的，有形的
How can we turn this good idea into concrete actions?

Prompt (v.) 促使，激起
Sally's hurt reaction prompted Harry to apologize for what he said.

Distinct (adj.) 明顯的
This cake has a distinct lemon flavor that you can taste easily.

Apr.12

Working with glass

Wang uses the lost wax technique to create his glass art. This method allows him to create pieces with fine shapes and patterns. But the lost wax casting technique is difficult to master. A mistake in any of the technique's more than 40 steps can ruin the entire piece, and mistakes occur often. Between 50 and 90 percent of the pieces — depending on how delicate they are — never get completed. When Wang succeeds, however, a beautiful piece of Chinese glass art is created.

Success in glass

And the world has taken notice. In 1994 Wang and his brother founded the glassmaking company Tittot. Wang acts as art director and trains artisans in creating pieces with the Tittot style. Today over 80 Tittot stores worldwide sell these pieces at top prices.

But the Wang brothers didn't stop there. In 1999 they established the Tittot Glass Art Museum in Beitou, a suburb of Taipei. The museum displays glass artwork and shares Tittot's glassmaking knowledge. Thanks to Wang and Tittot, glass in Taiwan is no longer just practical. It has become an art form that people enjoy.

Word Bank:

Technique (n.) 技法，技巧
Mrs. Archer taught us several painting techniques in art class.

Fine (adj.) 纖細(xì)的，纖巧的
These dishes have a beautiful, fine flower pattern.

Delicate (adj.) 精細(xì)的，纖弱的
My grandma's health is very delicate. She gets sick easily.

Suburb (n.) 郊區(qū)
Peter lives in a suburb of New York. It takes him 45 minutes to get to the city.

More Information

Paperweight (n.) 鎮(zhèn)紙
Versatility (n.) 多變性
Lost was casting (n.) 脫蠟鑄造法
Artisan (n.) 技巧純熟的師傅

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