Monday, May 12, 2014

gold window

 inside and out
Grace Lutheran. Cleveland Heights Ohio.
This is the only stained glass window, i think, in town that is far more interesting viewed from the outside. I have put up a lot of fotos of stained glass. I like stained glass, and have seen much about town. This may, or may not be the gold standard; but i do not see putting up another post on local glass.

Willet was the first, perhaps only, artist and studio to create sculptured gold windows. The first in 1948-9, the first one in a church was across the street from UCLA in 1951 [and i have not seen a picture of either].  By repoussage, pushing up (with punches and hammers) on a sheet of lead and forming a bas relief sculpture an overlay (with gold leaf applied) is created to be placed over stained glass.

I would like to find out if anyone at the church, now, has details. The church was completed in 1927. The congregation began in Hough, and followed a streetcar line out of town.

The inside [or the back of the sculpture] has an initially jarring color palate, but after repeated viewing, one gets used it; and perhaps it does have a charm too. What the lead on top of the glass does has to effect the color, it is not a foto negative, i don't think it is a hue or shade shift; chemical reaction?

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