2:24 The soul's flight into eternity From Liuli China Museum
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For most collectors, Eric Bonte is a glass artist most known for his domed glass ceilings. Impressive in size and opulent in style, these expansive bodies of work can be found in significant locations around the world.
Bonte could have easily rested on his laurels. Yet he made the conscious decision to confront a more personal sphere. Through his work, Eric Bonte ponders the meditative nature of earth, human introspection and our own fleeting existence. Each inquisition transcends his initial exploration of “love and freedom”.
Avoiding the vibrant and regal tradition associated with his domed creations, Bonte turned inward for inspiration. These sculptures, the products of his rumination, can be described as abstract romanticism, as a passing breeze, a release from the limitations of the past.
We are convinced that this version is not a new incarnation; rather, it is the liberation of the same person. The grander his domed glass ceilings and the more vivid his use of color, the more his true self would retreat. Perhaps he hoped to make it personal, for it all to derive from within, and to experience the silence and purity following the maelstrom. Perhaps he saw this as an opportunity to make his voice heard.
Perhaps this is the torment of a true artist. Maybe it is what 19th century Japanese literary critic Kuriyagawa Hakuson described as “the symbol of suffering”. As the audience, how we love to bear witness to an artist’s creative trajectory. Of these two Eric Bonte’s before us, which one do you chose?
