Chihuly’s Ikebana series draws on the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement for its inspiration but, as in the Venetians series, he has taken that tradition and interpreted it in a way that is uniquely his own. With Ikebana, scale has taken precedent. The large-scale pieces, some reaching six feet in height, take an amazing amount of team work to execute. The “vases” which hold the flowers are intricately colored and are, in general, rounded and symmetrical. The flowers themselves, however, are free formed with baroque twists and spirals governing the stems. The flower heads flaunt shapes and colors almost alien in their botanical exuberance.
A companion DVD accompanies each book that includes artist commentary discussing the history of each series, all approximately 15 minutes in running time.
