Michele Onesto was immersed in the art of glassmaking from an early age, starting from the simplest and humble work in his father Luigi’s glassworks, letting himself be carried away by the curiosity and the beauty of an art that he has made his own by attending the best possible school: stealing the secrets with the eyes and trying, with passion and determination, to work the glass during the production breaks.
Over the years he perfected the sommerso (submerged) technique that he learned from the Glassmaster Giancarlo Signoretto in order to give life to his famous Aquarium works: works in which the glass takes on realistic and marvellous colours and consistency, a magic fruit of the research and experiments that after 37 years the Master Onesto continues to carry out.
THE KNOWLEDGE THAT FLOWS THROUGH THEIR HANDS
When visiting the Venier glassworks you have the sensation of being in an ancient renaissance workshop where the ceaseless work is intertwined with the masters’ creativity, with knowledge of the materials, with rigor, with the desires of noble ladies and patrons, and with the reverent obedience of the assistants.
The Master Glassmakers are undoubtedly the key figures. From a very early age (10-12 years), they have shared their existence with the incandescent glow of glass: the experience and traditions of centuries live in them, renewed through the specialization in few, if not in only one, work process for which they are known and held in high esteem: there is he who as a matter of fact is the master in lamps, he who is the master in sculptures, he who is the master in vases … and they have gained a renown that has even reached important Heads of State and their works are displayed in the most famous museums of the world.
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Being able to see is important, but for a master glassmaker, drawing is also essential: it is one of the ways that things are known, an indispensable [...]