Modern Artists.
Harry Clarke
The work of Irish Stained Glassmaker Harry Clarke stood out to me in a way that many artists from this time didn't. The style was whimsical and the figurative depiction strongly reminded me of a much later style.
Similar to Morris, Harry Clarke used traditional methods within his artwork, relying on the pre-stained glass before adding the painterly details. This gives a more intense finish to the windows, they appear vibrant and colourful. Though, untraditional colours seem to be used more commonly within his artworks Purple, for instance, was a colour rarely used by early stained glass makers, instead, their pieces would be made up of more primary tones with the addition of green.
Seeing his work in person at the V&A in London simply proved to me just how special his windows are, they are like no other stained glass pieces I had seen before in their style and colour.
Marc Chagall
In his later years Marc Chagall specialised in his stained glass, creating hundreds of windows for places all around the world. He applied his whimsical painting and drawing styles to the glass to make the pieces look unique. There is a clear link between these and his paintings. However one clear difference would be the light, because glass is translucent there is added movement to the work, the light makes the piece come to life in a way a painting wouldn't.
The majority of his windows rely on one dominant colour with others interspersed throughout. Chagall used acid to add highlights to his work, the acid corrodes a layer of the oxide paint from the glass giving altered tonal qualities.
David Hockney
David Hockney was commissioned to create a window at Westminster Abbey to commemorate Queen Elizabeth, this window was unveiled in 2018. The window was designed by Hockney using an iPad as he claimed that much like a window, the iPad was backlit, allowing him to see how it might look upon its completion.
Hockney's inspiration for the window was the hawthorn, there are clear natural forms depicted within the window. The colours, however, are bright and vibrant a clear exaggeration to their natural shades. The abstract nature represents Hockney's style of working well.
It was interesting to find that unlike the majority of Stained Glass pieces, Hockney did not use any paint upon his window, he simply relied upon the coloured glass and lead lines to build up the image. It is the only window within Westminster Abbey without paint applied to it.
Liz west
Though Liz West does not work with coloured glass I felt it imperative to include her within this section. She is a modern artist, arguably more contemporary than some within this category. Her work plays on the idea of colour and light, much like stained glass, however, her choice of materials is not traditional. She uses sheets of coloured Vinyl to create her works. Through No,3 is a perfect example of her work resembling stained glass, the stand-alone structure is constructed of panels to build a triangular structure, it is almost as though she decided to get rid of the walls completely and build them from colourful pieces of plastic.
It begs the question of what might a Cathedral look like should we rid it of the stonework and build it from coloured glass alone? I should think it might be similar to West's piece, though with the addition of illustrations. She is the only artists within this section who has no narrative or decorative elements, this alone provides a contemporary aesthetic.
Henri Matisse
The stained glass pieces of Henri Matisse were in a way similar to the window created by David Hockney some fifty years later. There are similar shapes, natural forms such as abstract plant life. The colour pallet used by Matisse is drastically different, relying only on a few colours working together in harmony to create a serene and peaceful window.
John Piper
The figures within Piper's stained glass remind me somewhat of those within Chagall's they are whimsical and simplistic, yet effective. He uses contrasting colours to create a bold finish, the deep tones are rich and vibrant, so when he uses lighter colours, these sections stand out brilliantly.
As for what he depicts within his work, he has a range of different elements, differing from figurative to nature and narrative to decorative. Much like his paintings, they are full of life and colour.
Patrick Reyntiens
Patrick Reyntines focuses on depicting nature within his windows, they mainly take on green tones, however, he does also create figurative works similar to those created by Morris & Co.
His more abstract works seem to be made up of many shards, working with similar colours in different tones to create a contrast.
Reyntines has also been seen to collaborate with Piper on many occasions to create stained glass installations.
