When you see artist Robert L’Heureux’s glasswork, you will relearn all that you know of glass as a material. This supposedly fragile material seems to be a rock-like object that can be shaped into anything when handled by the artist. Bringing alive the century-old art of glass or Vitrail as it is called in the West; Robert’s artwork will be a part of an upcoming exhibition titled Glass Work Exhibition by Happy Glass Studio at Centre d’Art gallery in Auroville. Famous during the middle ages for bringing beauty to the grand cathedrals and churches in Europe, the exhibition promises to be at the intersection of traditional techniques and new ways of expressing the art.
“It’s my way of expression and it takes many years to conceptualise and mould the glass into an art,” says Robert who made Auroville his home nine years ago. Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Robert began his apprenticeship as a stained glass artist at the end of the 1970s — “in an effervescent era where new ways of living and expressing oneself were sought.” It was only after he came to India to meet his friend in Puducherry that he fell in love with the place and decided to stay back. “After my daughter turned 20, I thought I could take a break and settle where the artistic community was present and involved,” he says.
While working with glass as an artistic medium involves physical and mental strain, great expense and a high chance of failure, Robert avers that glass is unmatched when it comes to creative potential. “It’s tough and it shapes you as a person. I can’t express how enlightening the process is but as a glass artist I can shape it into anything, however, it’s a process that involves years,” explains the artist, whose major glass work is inspired by his surroundings and environment depicting rectangles, nature and the planets.
“For me, it’s not just a material but my expression. It’s my way of leading the narrative and shaping concepts. Also arriving at this stage requires skills and understanding of the medium,” Robert states. And we couldn’t agree more when we see his workshop full of glass imported from China, where he creates and teaches art and inspires those who want to further their artistic perspective. “I get the material from China because I can’t get this in India within budget. I was in China before the India-China border dispute started,” Robert clarifies.
priyanka.chandani@newindianexpress.com