Romance

Like many of Dan Dailey's works, Romance began as a drawing. The sketch that was used as the basis for Romance is reproduced in the catalogue that accompanied a major retrospective of Dailey's work in 1987. The cartoonish design is subdivided into linear zones, serving as a map that allows ready translation into another medium. Dailey has constructed most of the work in Vitrolite, an opaque and often colorful sheet glass that was made by the Libby Owens Ford Corporation beginning in the 1920s. It was used to create many of the shiny exteriors of Art Deco-inspired diners and movie theaters that dotted the United States in the 20th century. The material has not been made since 1960, so Dailey and other artists who use it must acquire it from salvaged stock. To construct his wall reliefs, Dailey and his assistants select and cut the Vitrolite to fit the pattern (based upon the drawing) and then piece it together upon a supporting armature of Plexiglas and metal components.