On the 18th of October Galleria Antonella Villanova opens the solo show of Jacqueline Ryan at Piazza Goldoni Nr.2.
In Jacqueline Ryan’s work, a jewellery artist from the United Kingdom, we see a very strong connection to nature and its forms.
Her work process starts with little sculptures made out of paper, which remind of natural organisms, forms we often have seen in Museums of Natural History.
To preserve that fresh and crisp quality that paper has, the final pieces never distance themselves too much from the initial paper maquettes. Ryan says her jewellery is like “a moth emerging from its cocoon after a long and gradual metamorphosis”.
Enamel is a fundamental aspect in Ryan’s jewellery, which she uses not only to decorate but also to underline the initial forms. Her jewellery often contains many movable elements. Through movement they reveal colourful enamel, often hidden in these little structures.
Vitreous enamel is an ancient technique. One of the earliest examples found in Cyprus is from the 18^th century BC and can be seen in the British Museum. Among others, enamel has been used in jewellery by Egyptians, Romans, Byzantines and by baroque and renaissance artists. Enamel ties Ryan’s jewellery to the very beginning of the history of ornament.
Jacqueline Ryan’s jewellery pieces definitely are small masterpieces of formal perfection and exquisite proportions.