SHATTERED LIGHT: Stained-Glass Windows From Around The World

There's quite a buzz over at the LaGuardia Community College campus these days as word has spread of the controversial art exhibit currently in development. 

For this exhibit I have removed numerous tall windows- in and around the E-Building, to display the dazzling stained glass that we have acquired from around the world. These brilliant works of art are all on loan from multiple countries. They include stained-glass from cathedrals, government buildings, as well as private residences. I have long admired the beauty and magnificence of this often overlooked artform, and I'm simply ecstatic at the magnitude and diversity of our pieces.

For a moment I would like to address the controversy surrounding the cafeteria-level viewing gallery. While I understand the importance, and need, for there to be a separation of church and state, I do not believe the inclusion of several religious themed stained-glass panels violates that law. When did we become so politically correct as a society that we are incapable of appreciating a work of art for what it truly is? It would of been irresponsible of me, as exhibit curator, to disallow any and all panels that had even a hint of religious imagery. When I came up with the idea for this show, it quickly became imperative that I take the audience: our student-body and staff, through the history of stained-glass, and it's use as an art form. That absolutely must include pieces acquired from religious institutions.

As stated above, the show has two primary themes, or purposes. In fact, I can even add a third, which is too put a well deserved spotlight on the stained-glass medium. My other goals are to showcase some of the most amazing pieces from around the world, while educating the audience on the lengthy history of the art-form; and assembling the panels in a way that guides you through that journey. I want there to be a very natural flow for this exhibit. Nothing should be forced, and I have gone through great lengths to ensure that. When a student or staff member enters the main lobby of the E-Building, they will come face-to-face with stained-glass portraits of Moses, Daniel, and other biblical figures from the historic Augsburg Cathedral, that date all the way back to the 11th century.

From artists unknown, these panels are literally some of the first examples of stained-glass being used for decorative purposes. They are bright and colorful, with a heavy reliance on reds and greens. Due to the times, these pieces look very two-dimensional. Actual outlines are utilized in a way that I believe showcase the emotion behind the work, and the windows have a more rough and rigid texture. 

As the audience makes there way to the cafeteria area, they will see a magnificent piece by William Morris of King Arthur and Sir Lancelot on their right. Mr. Morris, who was an English textile designer, poet, novelist, and social activist, created this piece in 1862.

  

The lovable fictional characters from English literature are brought to life with this wonderfully bright and colorful panel. The piece has an almost playful theme, in which the two look to be sharing in a laugh. I absolutely adore Sir Lancelot's' armor and shield, which has a monotone look. I especially love the patterned motif behind the two characters. These trees and bushes create an almost 3-dimensional feel to the work.

Up next we have a few panels from famed architect and artist Frank Lloyd Wright.

Named the Playhouse Windows, which adorned an addition to the Avery Coonley estate, it was the architect's first commission following his return from Europe in 1911. As was most of Wright's early ornament, the glass designs were usually derived from natural forms. The Coonley windows, however, are purely geometric in form, recalling the abstract compositions of contemporary European painters. The use of primary colors instead of earth tones was also unusual for Wright at that time. 

Now we get to a couple of real gems in our collection. Make your way through the doors to the garden area where we have assembled a 960 piece, one-ton tribute to America. Created by Stained-Glass Overlay's Steven Stepaniack and his team in 2003 for the Dole Institute of Politics, this piece stands 36 feet tall and is held in place by steel columns recovered by the World Trade Center.

The red and blue colors in the flag were custom-made for the project, and most of the 960 pieces were hand painted to add texture to the flag and make it look more like fabric. The sections were soldered together and put into 27 panels to make this jaw-dropping piece. It will look spectacular in the afternoon, with the natural sunlight shining through it's panels and draping the audience in red, white and blue. 

The last piece that I would like to speak about today is the window that we have acquired from the Grossmunster Cathedral in Zurich, Switzerland. It is, in my opinion, the perfect way to end our tour, as it combines the new, with the millions of years old. 

Created by Sigmar Polke in 2009, a post-modern anarchist if ever there was one. The artist has succeeded in producing a miracle of luminosity that combines originality with a deferring bow to tradition. He has impregnated the window with thin slices of agate, and it's surely a sight to behold. The agate stones, which are of course millions of years old, are arranged like translucent mosaics joined by strips of lead and have been treated with pigments to ensure an almost chemical transformation. 

That might be the end of our journey, but there are quite a few other works that I have failed to mention along the way. In order to see them all, I advise you to make your way to LaGuardia Community College sometime during the month of December. This exhibition, unlike the agate stones, will not last long.