Giovanni Corvaja
‘Giovanni Corvaja is perhaps the sanest madman I have encountered and equally paradoxically can we regard his very extraordinary and special creations.’- Hadas Shoef, journalist, Globe, Israel, October 28, 2007[1]
Giovanni Corvaja was born in 1971 on the 30th of September in Padua, Italy. He was the son of parents Maria Vittoria Pavan and Carlo Corvaja and grew up in an environment where many people in his family were scientists and so since he was a child, has been hugely mesmerized by metals. [2]
He first began his studies to be a goldsmith at Pietro Selvatico High School of Art in his home town in Italy in the year 1985. He was awarded the Diploma di Maestro d’Arte in 1988 and subsequently the Maturità d’Arte Applicata in the year 1990
Corvaja graduated from the Royal College in London with the Degree of Master of Arts in 1992, after which he moved back to Padua to pursue a career as a goldsmith. Since 2005, Giovanni Corvaja has been living in a town called Todi in Italy where he has been doing freelance goldsmith work from his own private workshop.[3]
Since 1989, Giovanni Corvaja has been exhibiting his jewellery pieces in galleries around the world. He is known for using metals, specifically gold and platinum in such a way that it looks and feels like fur or wispy elements.
-Giovanni Corvaja-
The Golden Fleece (Fidelity)
Ring
18 K gold. int. d 18 mm/ext. d 24 mm x 16 mm
2008
This is a ring is the third piece designed by Giovanni Corvaja for his Golden Fleece collection which consists of five other pieces. The collection is inspired by a Greek myth in which a magical goat’s Golden Fleece would bring luck and prosperity to kings and their kingdoms. The ring is made out of 18k yellow gold and the ‘fur’ is made from gold wires. There are 104, 272 single wire strands in this ring. The Inside of the ring is perforated so that the strands may be threaded into the ring. Each tiny thread has been repeated thousands of times to create the matted fur effect but still each one looks organic and natural as if it was a naturally occurring tuft of fur. You can see that, like real fur, the hairs are all flowing in one smooth direction so if one was to stroke the ring in one direction it would seem soft and smooth but in the other, it would be almost abrasive or at least not natural. The ring is symmetrical and there is uniformity in the consistency of the strands as well as in the perforations on the inside of the ring. There is an obvious contrast between the textural, matted fur on the outer side of the ring compared to the smooth simplicity of the inside of the ring. The texture of the ring looks abrasive and our mind wants us to think of it at being abrasive but in actual fact is soft and very similar to actual animal fur. The natural golden colour of the strands work well with the texture of the ring as the colour looks like it could be the natural colour of fur and the light reflecting off the strands emphasize that. It looks as though the ring would be quite chunky to wear.
-Giovanni Corvaja-
Pendant on a chain,
detail. 950 platinum, 18K gold and colourful glass enamel.
Wire d 0,03 mm
2010
This is a pendant on a chain. The chain and the frame of the pendant are made out of 18k gold and the tiny wire hairs encased inside the frame are made from 950 platinum and are laden with coloured glass enamel. The diameter of the platinum hairs is 0.03 mm thick. The ‘cage’ of the pendant is uniform and looks smooth and solid in texture and is contrasted with the chaos and unpredictability of the platinum hairs on the inside of the pendant which look quite abrasive and wiry. The wild, bright colours of the glass enamel and grey platinum contrast with the even, calmness of the colour of the gold pendant and chain. The gold is comforting and familiar where as the platinum and enamel makes one feel quite uneasy. The outside of the pendant looks to be symmetrical and aerodynamic. The pendant as a whole resembles some sort of seed or pod and so looks to be quite organic in shape. The form is very voluminous and bold and the wire hairs emphasize that fullness of form. Even though the strands and colours provoke a sense of chaos, the frame of the pendant contains those elements and gives the pendant a sense of balance and harmony. The curved lines of the frame help the smooth out the pendant and anchor the whole design. The coloured enamel adds excitement to the piece and although the colours seem random, the consistency in the randomness of the shape and colour of the enamel provides a sense of unity. The platinum resembles plant fibres.
-Giovanni Corvaja-
Bracelet.
18K gold. d 84 mm x 42 mm
This bangle is made from 18k gold. The chaos of the golden wire is contrasted wonderfully by Corvaja’s use of a sturdy frame which has a clean simple line. The wire making up the body of the bangle has not been layered randomly and in fact consists of layer after layer of gold wire repeated in geometric shapes which contrast with the circular shape of the bangle as a whole. The geometric shapes are repeated so many times and in such fine gold that the eye blurs and does not recognize the shapes unless one tries to focus on them. Although gold is usually a heavy medium to work with, this bangle seems almost weightless and delicate because of the fine body of golden threads. Proportionately, the bangle is quite large and would be quite stout on the wrist of the wearer. The fact that the bangle is of one colour helps to unify the piece and soften the overall feel of the bangle. The bangle has an uneven texture on the inside and outside but it does not seem like the texture would be abrasive to the skin. The bangle’s form is very voluminous and the addition of the airy spaces between the gold wire threads makes the piece look to be quite delicate.
Bibliography
· http://www.klimt02.net/blogs/blog.php?Id=7&Id_post=19&Directe=Si [online] [accessed 14 July last updated: 17.03.2010
· http://www.abovogallery.com/corvaja.htm [online] [accessed 14 July 2011]
· http://www.giovanni-corvaja.com/ [online] [accessed 14 July 2011]
· http://www.apparat.be/bracelets/giovanni-corvaja [online] [accessed 14 July 2011]
No comments:
Post a Comment