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Show Stained Glass Windows Celebrate Life of Christ The Impact of its Incandescent splendor and Its overwhelming over-whelming physical magnitude make the stained glass window one of the most spectacular art forms ever. They axe at once dazzling and awesome. Since stained glass owes Ha artistic existence to light, it Is directly affected by Its environment. Jewel-like Brilliance Almoet undiscemlble from Its exterior, the stained glass windows of a Gothic cathedral, viewed from Its Interior, reveal tier on tier of dazzling and sparkling windows. The brilliance Is Intensified not only by the impurities and bubbles bub-bles within the glass Itself, but by the dirt and weathering of the exterior as well. Just as a jewel, Its brilliance enhanced en-hanced by its many facets, glimmers and glows, so do we find the stained glass window dazzles and dances as the position of the sun's rays move through It. Each mark or scar on its surface further Intensifies its brilliance. Early Stained Glass Colored glass beads were worn by the ancient Egyptians and glass blowing was known to the Roman Empire, but no one really knows just when and where stained glass was first used. The cathedral window was Gothic in origin, though examples of stained glass that possibly date from the eighth century, were found in France. Biblical Themes Windows that told stories of the Bible and the saints were first conceived in the twelfth century. Five larger-than-llfe-sized figures, The Prophets, in the windows of the Cathedral of Augsburg, Germany, are the oldest stained glass windows still to be seen in their original setting. One of the greatest existing series of windows, In the Cathedral of Chartres, France, depicts scenes from the Old and New Testaments, the Virgin and Christ, Apostles and Saints. These date from 1200-1240. New Uses Until the end of the Middle Ages stained glass windows, monumental and religious, were so costly that the only buildings deemed worthy to receive them as gifts were houses of God. Stained glass became secular as well as church art with the increasing affluence of the growing middle class. Contemporary Stained Glass Windows After a period when interest In stained glass windows waned, the late 1800's brought about new and original, designs and color schemes. Artists Charles J. Connick and Wilbur Herbert Burnham became well known for their beautiful windows designed for the Cathedrals of St. John the Divine and St. Patrick in New York City, Grace Ca- thedral in San Francisco and other churches in the United States. In France, Henri Matisse, Georges Rouault, and Fernand Leger designed windows for churches ih Assy and other areas. Rebuilding of churches damaged during World War II, in Germany and England, resulted in new and outstanding stained glass windows in contemporary designs. A Gift to the World Stirring in their beauty and magnitude, stained glass windows inspire and reinforce in blazing glory the message mes-sage they contain ... a message of brotherhood and love and promise, and a renewal of our faith in all mankind. |
