Heinrich Wang: Glass artist

This man turns glass into something special

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 c_____（具体的，有形的）,” 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 d_____（明显的） Chinese flavor, to the world.

Working with glass
Wang uses the lost wax technique to create his glass art. This method allows him to create pieces with f_____（纤细的，纤巧的） 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 d_____（精细的，纤弱的） 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

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

翻译翻译：1987年，一个玻璃镇纸，它的形状象头牛，它把王先生迷倒了，在那时他还是一位电影导演。一个艺术意念的表达通过某些的形态深深吸引着王先生，“我总是想用我的双手制造出一些有形的物体”他说。“多种功能性的玻璃器皿制造，它的构想素材为我创立和表达我的意念。

Paperweight (n) 镇纸
Versatility (n) 多变性
Lost was casting (n) 脱蜡铸造法
Artisan (n) 技巧纯熟的师傅

Talk About It

☆ What is an ordinary thing or material that can be made into a piece of art? Explain how it can be done.
☆ Have you ever made something that involved many steps? Explain the process.

11日：

视频下载： http://file.hjbbs.com/studio/20070411hu.wmv

12日：

视频下载： http://file.hjbbs.com/studio/20070412ke.wmv

参与方式：

1.猜词：根据文中空缺的4个词的中文意思猜出英文原词。（奖励40）
2.翻译：把标有下划线的句子翻成中文。（奖励40）
3.造句和讨论：任意选择4个词中的一个或多个进行造句。并且参加Talk About It.（奖励50）
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