Something in common -Jo Downs
The Mona Lisa value circa $620 million A Jo Downs original – value a lot less (for now)
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” so the saying goes and art particularly Modern art is one area of great debate. When it comes to reviewing art, so much depends on personal opinion. To quote a common phrase which is interpreted in one of two ways if “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” or “one man’s art be another man’s trash” – can they both be correct? In part the answer may lie with the belief that every great artist should be able to create no matter what materials he has at hand. We have become so used to paint, marble and clay which were historically the medium of the great masters, but much has changed in recent years. Today any modern artist is just as likely to use glass (as Jo Downs) or scrap metal or any household refuse to create their masterpiece. More recently the use of digital technology has started to be readily accepted as an art form we can only wonder what Da Vinci could have achieved if he had had the benefit of such a medium?
A walk around any city art gallery will quickly demonstrate this use of diverse materials in its exhibits. One such classical superb if somewhat large sculpture using scrap metal components is” Ecstasy” by media artist Karen Cuolito. Made from 9 tons of salvaged steel and standing some 30 ft high. It was until 2011 on display in Hayes valley San Francisco but is now part of a private collection. The sculpture depicts an emotive woman who has slung her head back in a state of euphoria, whereby, with her tilted head and emotional stance she is meant to embody passion – compare and contrast with Michelangelo’s “David”
Find out more at MY MODERN MET Quite a variation from Michelangelo’s Classic sculpture of “David”
The art that most of us are currently used to seeing is of the classical variety (“Mona Lisa” and “David”) where art collections comprise the paintings and sculptures which we would normally only see exhibited in national galleries. Modern Art is generally much more publicly accessible. Jo Downs is such an example, Jo is an exceptional British artist who draws much of her inspiration from the world around her, particularly the Cornish coast around St Ives where her studio is based. Jo has built her reputation making handmade glass interior and decorative pieces such as earring dishes using enhanced fusion techniques, to create her abstract designs.
A private commission from Solidor has offered Jo the opportunity to extend her work into architectural and interior programmes where, using her skill in advanced fusion techniques, she is able to create abstract designs which have been incorporated into glazed panels for their doors. As every panel is hand crafted it means it is completely unique. Thereby, making every door where one of her panels is incorporated – truly one of a kind! This use of hand-crafted glass changes its very nature; from being something that is just a functional means of controlling traffic, and transforms it into a picture frame into which you can now hang your own piece of original art.
Who can say what the art classics of the future may be? Is there any rule that prevents a time, when, a Jo Downs “Fused glass art” original glass panel in your front door replaces the old masterpieces?
We are not for one moment trying to suggest that if you add one of these glass panels when you purchase your new front door from that it will suddenly be worth circa $ 620 million, but it is nice to dream.
To use another well-versed phrase – if “we have to speculate to accumulate” and if currently, you are looking for a new front door. Maybe the best financial advice we can offer our customers, is that they invest in one of our Solidor range of doors with the addition of a Jo Downs “Fused glass art” panel. Someday, it may be worth an awful lot more than you paid for the original door.
