Stained glass reflected on the stone floor at Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston’s South End. The actual stained glass windows I may post in the future.
Posts Tagged ‘art’
light on the floor
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, Cathedral of the Holy Cross, churches, colors, design, Inspiration, perspective, Photography, stained glass, stained glass windows on October 8, 2014| 3 Comments »
the story in and of the glass
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, biblical stories, churches, colors, creativity, design, Inspiration, National Historic Landmark, Photography, stained glass windows, storytelling, Tiffany on October 8, 2014| 3 Comments »
One of the reasons that I have come to love photographing stained glass windows is story. There’s the story of the building in which the window is placed. There’s the story of the people who commissioned the creation of the window. There’s the story that the artist and his or her team is asked to express in paint and layers of glass, and their artistic interpretation of that story. And then there’s the completed window and what story it actually conveys to each individual viewer across the generations.
These are details from the windows at Church of the Convenant, located on Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay. It is a National Historic Landmark built 1865-1867. Then, in the late 1890s, the sanctuary was completely redecorated by Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company.
It is still an active parish and they have put together a wealth of information detailing the story of the parish, the Gothic architecture of the building, and its Tiffany decoration.
There is an online tour of the windows and interior via this link. But, of course, if you’re in the area, definitely take the self-guided tour still available. The walking map provides interesting descriptions of the three Tiffany designers’ interpretations of the biblical stories they were to represent in glass.
And of the photographs I took during my most recent walking tour, following is an image that did not work out and yet I could not make myself delete it. So, I suppose such an action is part of the story of me.
More information available: http://www.cotcbos.org/
a new week and new works available
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, church, colors, holiday cards, Inspiration, letter writing, Photography, Postcards, stained glass windows, stationery on October 6, 2014| 3 Comments »
details from the new jerusalem window by john la farge, 1884
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, churches, colors, design, George Nixon Black, Ieposolyma, Inspiration, John La Farge, New Jerusalem, Photography, stained glass windows, tours on October 1, 2014| 1 Comment »
You’ll find Ieposolyma-The New Jerusalem in an area known as the north transept of Trinity Church in Copley Square. It is an upper level window that rests beside another John La Farge masterpiece, The Resurrection (1902). The New Jerusalem was completed and installed eight years earlier in 1884.
As described by scholar James L. Yarnall in his biographical study of John La Farge, this window depicts “the vision of the New Jerusalem described in the book of Revelation. The design fused Byzantine architecture and Mannerist figures from Correggio with a dazzling array of jeweled opalescent glasses.”
If you’re in Boston, see firsthand how the sunlight shines through all of this magnificent glass — this window apparently contains every kind of glass La Farge ever used including pressed jewels, confetti glass, and opalescent glass. Tour information available here.
I tend to focus on the pieces that make up the whole, but if you search online you’ll find some photographs of the whole window, like this one.
stationery works
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged art, colors, handwritten note, Inspiration, John La Farge, letter writing, nature, paintings, Photography, Postcards, stationery, Trinity Church on September 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »
I have an unofficial postcard club of 5, 6 and 7 year olds. It is mostly a quarterly mailing of nature-themed images. I have offered to hand the postcards to my young friends but they seem to like the idea of a handwritten note, a stamp applied, and the piece of paper traveling around the world (so to speak) before winding up in their mailbox, addressed to them specifically. I have told the older ones that one day soon I expect a note in return. 😉
If you follow this blog, you know how much I love producing postcards of the stained glass windows at Trinity Church in Copley Square. Of late, I’ve been focusing my attention on the painted walls. Expect a future post about the original paintings orchestrated by John La Farge in the late 1800s and later painting done over the decades during various renovations.
This postcard is of St. Paul on the west porch of Trinity Church. I especially love the reflection of the church in the glass of the neighboring John Hancock building. This postcard is now available at the Shop at Trinity Church.
multiplication of little streams
Posted in Inspiration, tagged abstract, art, bifurcation diagrams, Inspiration, mathematics, perspective, Photography, physics, poster, science, storytelling on September 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »
The story behind the image: Steve and I were taking a short walk along Revere Beach. The tide had receded quite a bit. He followed the water. I stayed on shore searching out seashells and stones and wishing I’d worn a thicker sweater. As he returned to me, he suddenly paused and shouted, “Come here. You have to see this.” I raced over and looked down at where he was pointing. Lines and curves in the sand? “Bifurcation diagrams in nature,” he exclaimed. I peered more closely, frowning. He tried explaining the mathematics of what he saw for me. “It’s like the multiplication of little streams leading to chaos.” “Well,” I said slowly, “I’m reminded of those Asian landscape paintings of mountains with cascading waterfalls over the rocks.” We studied the sand for a bit longer, he helping to point out different ways to frame photographs of the bifurcation he was seeing, and we both appreciating our different perspectives of the world.
A poster print of this “mountainous” scene is available online here.
the beauty of a ceiling
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, beauty, colors, Copley Square, design, Henry Hobson Richardson, Inspiration, John La Farge, Richardsonian Romanesque, Trinity Church on September 24, 2014| 1 Comment »
hands on the walls
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, beauty, body language, churches, colors, hands, Inspiration, John La Farge, murals, painting, Photography, St. Paul, St. Peter, Trinity Church in the City of Boston on September 23, 2014| 2 Comments »
These are the hands of St. Paul, St. Peter and Jesus as painted by John La Farge in the murals for Trinity Church. I was inspired to create this compilation by the moving images and words in Steve McCurry’s recent post, The Language of Hands. I may write more about hands in the future, but for now, I hope you enjoy these images.
St. Paul’s hands
St. Peter, the key in his hand
Jesus with Nicodemus, hands resting
Hands of Christ and Woman at the Well
St. Paul
The Visit of Nicodemus to Christ
exteriors
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, churches, Inspiration, Photography, St. Paul, statues, Trinity Church in the City of Boston on August 26, 2014| 1 Comment »
a glimpse of beauty
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, Back Bay, Burlison and Grylls, churches, Clayton & Bell, colors, Copley Square, Inspiration, John La Farge, light, Photography, stained glass windows, storytelling, Trinity Church in the City of Boston on August 13, 2014| 5 Comments »
Detail from Purity by John La Farge
Designed and executed by artists and stained glass manufacturers like John La Farge, Clayton and Bell, Burlison and Grylls, and others, these particular stained glass windows at Trinity Church in the City of Boston are “hidden gems.”
Detail 2 from Purity by John La Farge
They are located in the Parish House. In part, due to renovation activities at different times over the past 100 years, some of the windows are now in stairwells, like Purity as well as John Hardman and Company’s Woods Window …
The Woods Window, executed by John Hardman and Company
others are in restricted areas like Ephphatha by Burlison and Grylls …
Detail from Ephphatha by Burlison and Grylls
and others in areas dedicated to use by parishoners of all ages like The Sunday-School Windows by Clayton & Bell.
They are not windows accessible as part of a traditional art and architecture tour of the sanctuary, but it has been my pleasure this summer to roam the halls a bit with my camera and to share this glimpse of details from some of the windows. Postcards and prints, and information about tours, are available at the Trinity Book Shop.
Interior of Trinity Church in the City of Boston, Copley Square
Words + Images 