CZECH GLASS | FRAGILE
{Martin Janecký Martin Janecký Martin Janecký Martin Janecký Martin Janecký Martin Janecký Martin Janecký Martin Janecký Martin Janecký

Martin Janecký

In the case of this author, one can only assume that he was born for his artistic career. His professional development went through a different direction than it is usual for Czech glassmakers. He started working with glass at the age of thirteen in a glasswork built by his father. The glassworks both attracted and fascinated him. He graduated from the Secondary School of Glass in Nový Bor, then worked for several years as a blower in various factories and studios in the Czech Republic and abroad. There he learned to understand glass. He understood its behaviour, and gained the necessary skill. However, he was attracted even more and bravely set out on his own journey. He decided to learn from world-famous artists and focused on the technique of processing of hot glass by the furnace, which many Czech glass artists already considered exhausted. He went to the USA, where he completed the Richard Royal course at Pilchuck Glass School and later also the course of the American glassmaker and sculptor William Morris, considered a world authority in the field of inside sculpting.

This technique of "shaping of a hot bubble from the inside", which is mastered by only a few people in the world, has become Janecký's lifelong passion and challenge at the same time. It requires great skill and considerable understanding of the material. The author adapted it to his ideas, constantly improving it, moving it forward and discovering more and more precise procedures. Janecký has tended to classical sculpture since he was a child, and he is probably the only one in the world who devotes himself to figural creation within the technique of inside sculpting. He creates skulls, hands, torsos, but above all heads. He tries to capture reality as realistically as possible; the head has muscles and even a certain expression.

In terms of style of work, it is unique in Czech and world glass making and he is considered one of the best glass sculptors in the world. He showcased and taught the discipline he mastered across continents. Having his works in collection is becoming prestigious, his works are found in many collections literally all over the world, one of them being, for example, the art collection of Sir Elton John.

What the author says about the inside sculpting technique: "It's a magical process that represents a work of art in itself - a performance. First, an oval shape with a perfect bubble wall thickness is blown. The bubble shall be on the blowing whistle that the assistant holds all the time. I make a hole at the top of the bubble and shape the sculpture with various tools. First, I model the inside, muscles and anatomy of the face. Finally, details such as eyes, wrinkles and the like are finalised from the outside. In addition to the furnace, where the bubble is always re-inserted to maintain the correct temperature, oxygen burners are an important part of the process, where I preheat specific parts of the bubble that I am currently working on. This gives me more control over the shape and the sculpture gets the desired shape. "

Janecký does not work with sketches, drawings or drafts, the whole process of his creation is spontaneous. It is based purely on its imagination and it could be said that the final shape of the work is not completely predictable. When using this technique, no scars are visible on the object, which are formed when the glass is pulled and cut from the outside. The process takes about three hours to two days, depending on the complexity of the final work. Then comes the important post-production - grinding, sanding, "rinsing" in acid, etc. The head is about 30 centimetres in diameter, about 50 centimetres in height and weighs up to twenty kilograms.