Bowl, two-part

Clear and green glass, surface cut and polished in acid, prismatic shape with a bowl inserted, signed Vízner 01, 23.5 × 23.5 × 7.5 cm (Zí)

literature
Warmus W., František Vízner, 2001, cat. no. IV-53 – color photo of a bowl in the blue version.

František Vízner is one of the most important Czech glassmakers of the 2nd half of the 20th century. After studying at the AAAD in Prague (prof. Štipl, Plátek, and Bauch), Vízner focused on designing moulded glass at the newly created Sklo Union art center in Teplice. Here, he designed many successful vases and bowls between the years 1962–1967 that were part of the production program for many years. In 1967, he began working in the glassworks in Škrdlovice, where he made around 250 works of kiln-made glass based on his own designs in the ensuing decade. Many of these creations became icons of postwar glass design. In 1977, Vízner built his own glassworks workshop in Ždár nad Sázavou. He no longer worked in industrial production and focused on working in his studio. Objects cut into simple shapes, which reveal the beauty of a perfect form, glass and craftsmanship are characteristic for his work. There is not much variation in the shape of the objects; the author sought the optimal proportion of object and color in the glass used. The author chose a matte surface on purpose, since it diffuses reflection and shine and thus clearly defines the volume of the work. František Vízner has made one piece of this work. The individual bowls and vases differ in terms of color and size.
The two-part Bowl on offer is unique for the author in its usage of two pieces of differently colored glass. These two parts are combined together with microscopic precision. The author created an optical illusion in which the colorful bowl can only be seen when viewed from above.