Art or Anti-Art?

The Development of the Stained Glass Trade Studio

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the great age of cathedrals, stained glass arose as a part of gothic architecture within the integrated ordering of Christian art. The early glass craftsmen worked on-site and, together with the clergy, designed and constructed the windows with an awareness of each aperture, its scale and relationship to the rest of the work, and the quality of light it would be transmuting. As the work at one cathedral concluded, the craftsmen would pack their bags and move to a new site where construction was just starting on another cathedral. The next three hundred years witnessed the gradual transformation from the Gothic to the New Renaissance of the 16th century.

Through the progressions of the Renaissance there occurred a decided shift of emphasis away from the integrated work of the glass craftsman to that of the glass painter. The dissolution of intimacy between the glaziers and architects, as well as increasing provincialism and individualism of artists led to glass studios establishing themselves in permanent locations rather than working on site. By the 16th century the position of the glass painter had become elevated far above that of the glass craftsman. In a misguided attempt to imitate the oil paintings of the Renaissance, the glass painters soon forgot the function of their medium. Perspective and chiaroscuro triumphed and, as the realism of painting was refined, the traditional techniques of the glass craftsman who worked in an essentially two-dimensional art form were lost. The fundamental ties with architecture also disappeared as the paintings on glass spread across the window to be viewed in the manner of illuminated canvases in the openings amidst the walls. With increasing sophistication in the 17th century, and confusion as to the means of expressing spiritual understanding, stained glass continued to deteriorate. The beautiful luminous hand-made glass was superseded by dull-coloured enamels applied to a plain colourless glass surface. The preoccupation with portraiture led to the absurdity of patrons and donors appearing in the panels, their faces being interchanged with those of the saints. The whole basis of stained glass was denied and, by the 18th century, the medium was adrift in its most decadent period. Little room remained for the artistry of the glass craftsman and the selflessness of true religious art, and they departed together.

Occurring amidst the growth of this decadence was the Reformation, which, with its puritanical zeal and disdain of religious idolatry, developed an even greater influence in the opposite direction. While church glass was neglected, removed, and often wantonly destroyed, a new market appeared much to the relief of the glass painters. The growing wealth of the merchant class was reflected in the erection of fine new homes, and glass became a valued domestic ornament. Thus, secular glass came into being with heraldic designs, panels depicting the seasons, and even stained glass sundials.

In the 19th century, a revitalization began in stained glass and, as a result of serious artistic interests in the medium, the formulae for making hand-blown glass was explored and rediscovered. The return of lead and architectural relations as integral aspects of the design established themselves anew. However, the concurrent development of production-line techniques and commercialization seriously affected the full recovery of the medium. On one hand, dedicated artists like William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones pursued the course of rediscovering and understanding the traditional techniques and evolving sincere and original contemporary work. On the other hand, the adaptation of production-line methods to the craft spawned the trade studios of the religious art 'industry'. The resulting schism resulted in stained glass being developed along two distinct streams that, while both continued to utilize the craft's traditional techniques, they were widely separated by ideological and artistic differences. Artists sought creative expression working with small numbers of glass craftsmen, while trade studios streamlined the processes, and divided the labour of their workers into "specialized" functions which better served the interests of efficiency and economy.

Throughout their history, stained glass craftsmen and artists had periodically resorted to practices of insincerity and convenience such as resizing figures, adapting old backgrounds, and similar shortcuts. But never on such a large scale as was made possible by the commercialization of the Victorian era. The trade studios issued illustrated catalogues of pious or sentimental religious stereotypes, executed in a representative style appealing to, and easily understood by, the masses. Once chosen by the donor, the "catalogue" design was simply adjusted in the studio to fit the specific size and shape of the window, with a general disregard for aesthetic or architectural appropriateness. The designs were often directly copied works of popular Victorian painters, and merely adapted for glass. A typical example is the 'Light of the World' design, originally an oil painting by Holman Hunt. It has been rendered in glass by trade studios the world over and continues to be made today. It was during the 1800's and in the fashion of Victorian trade studios that stained glass was established in Canada. In a country of transplanted immigrants, stained glass provided a decidedly nostalgic link with the Old Country. In the 1880's, an upsurge of popularity in glass was reflected in the number of firms which sprang up across Canada to exploit the local building booms and to compete with imported stained glass. Using standardized catalogues of designs from the United States and Britain, windows of all types were made for domestic and public buildings. Fan lights, transoms, and foyer windows enjoyed conspicuous popularity in Victorian homes. Early ornamental glass was designed in the flamboyant, curvilinear Art Nouveau manner. Later, the more simple geometric Art Deco windows reflected the change in architectural styles. Hotels, hospitals, banks, and other public buildings and institutions incorporated engraved, frosted, and beveled decorative glass into their architecture. Though a commercialized form of popular design, these windows still maintained an architectural and environmental function appropriate to their time and place. This was not the case, however, in regard to church windows.

Wealthier churches alone could afford windows, and these were imported from Europe. Donors made their selections from the illustrated catalogues; window sizes were sent abroad, and their completed windows would finally arrive to be installed by the local glazier or carpenter. It is not surprising, therefore, that these works rarely achieved any harmony with the architecture in which they were integrated. Imitating the European trade studio both in their designs and methods of production, Canadian firms ventured into the religious art 'industry' in the spirit of Victorian piety and sentimentality. Though in a position to undertake original and architecturally integrated work, they opted for the success of safe, standardized designs. The trade studios accordingly continued to enjoy relative ease and financial success throughout the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Many of the firms did not, however, survive the outbreak of the First World War. By the 1920's a new building boom was underway and glass was still valued for its ornamental qualities. However, the Depression again caused many studios to disappear and the use of more economical clear glass became a universal feature of architecture by the beginning of the Second World War.

The economic growth following the war signaled a resurgence of construction, but the new styles or architecture rarely included any stained glass. Windows connoting the gloomy claustrophobia of the Victorian era were abandoned out of preference for a light atmosphere that was bright and clean. Expansive clear picture windows were featured in the modern style of suburban homes and public buildings. Hundreds of ornamental transoms and fan lights were removed and destroyed because they 'blocked the light'. Congregations and architects erecting new churches favoured simple colour schemes or clear glass. Pious, religious scenes reproduced from Victorian designs could no longer find sympathy in these new places of worship. Stained glass was considered passé; a musty, suffocating remnant of times past and best forgotten.

Except for the handful of independent artists across the country working in the medium, stained glass in Canada had been at the mercy of the trade studios. These studios had never maintained an interest in, or sought to establish a relationship with, the directions and developments in fine art or architecture. Their contribution therefore, to the design of 'modern’ windows consisted of little more than an alteration of the backgrounds of their standard "Victorian" designs into meaningless assemblages of coloured glass. Creativity and expression in art demands an atmosphere of experimentation and freedom, and the amount of time taken to produce original works of art can vary considerably. Such a flexible atmosphere is rarely found in a production-line operation and so it is not surprising that the trade studios have deliberately shunned relationships with the "outside" world of art. Stained glass windows, religious and secular, are viewed by trade studios as a product.

The clients of the religious art industry are often older and artistically conservative donors desiring a memorial window depicting as realistically as possible their favourite saint or religious teachings regardless of the window's architectural suitability. On the other hand, architects who wish to achieve an aesthetically integrated structure seek out sympathetic artists rather than patronize the trade studios who consider such architects as 'difficult' customers. With the exception of the few individuals undertaking original pieces, the state of stained glass art remained stagnant and unyielding until the recent revival in the late '60s.

The North American arts and crafts movement, though encumbered with a nostalgia for the turn of the century, brought a breath of fresh air and revitalization to stained glass. Art Nouveau and Art Deco windows and Tiffany lamps became immensely popular as collectables, and ornamental windows were once again commissioned for homes and, more notably, restaurants and bars.

Many new studios sprang up to cater to the domestic/commercial market, reproducing old designs or similarly styled new ones. Terrariums and Tiffany-type glass lamps enjoyed commercial success as well as providing a source for kits and materials within the lucrative and faddish hobbyist market. The introduction of courses in stained glass at workshops, in community colleges, and on extension courses acquainted interested amateurs with the basic principles.

Now, amidst this popularity, more artists are considering glass as a medium of intrinsic respect both as a material of colour and luminousity, and as an architectural art. The success of a considerable number of ventures undertaken by these artists in supplying new markets in domestic and commercial situations is viewed by the established trade studios with a mixture of envy and scorn.

The present state of stained glass art in Canada lags far behind that of both the United States and Europe. Nevertheless, there is a change underway. The monopoly held by trade studios over religious 'art' is beginning to break down as more and more serious independent artists enter the medium. Architects and interior designers are beginning to demand once again original, sensitive, and aesthetically integrated work in their new buildings.

Germany, a country where stained glass is healthy and dynamic, could well serve as a possible model for Canadian stained glass artists and trade studios alike. Not necessarily in terms of design or aesthetics, but rather in terms of economics and the manner of producing original work. German stained glass artists work closely with architects and engineers often from the inception and designing stage of a new building. Their work is, therefore, an integrated architectural and artistic expression. They work equally closely with the trade studio craftsmen who carry on their work, thereby maintaining artistic control throughout the production.

Canadian trade studios have, over the years, accumulated a vast expertise in technical craftsmanship. A collaboration of independent artists and trade studio craftsmen would combine the best of both worlds and set the stage for a new and exciting era in Canadian stained glass.