During the early middle ages, much of the culture seemed to be centered on religion and all its aspects. This included everything from their lifestyle to even their art. One such art that was developed and mastered during this time was the art of staining glass. “In Europe, the art of stained glass reached its height between 1150 and 1500, when magnificent windows were created for great cathedrals.”1 This art had been dedicated towards religious beliefs just as all other culture had been.
The art of stained glass had been developed and mastered by a monk named Theophilus. “An artist and metalworker himself, Theophilus described in his text,On Diverse Arts, how he carefully studied glaziers and glass painters at work in order to provide detailed directions for creating windows of "inestimable beauty."”2 For stained glass to be made for great cathedrals and religious purposes, it seems as though a monk was in the perfect position to develop the art.
The glass itself was made by melting down sand and wood ash (the ash gave the glass a more “foggy” look) and then cooled into different shapes. For the colored pieces of glass, different kinds of powdered metals were added to it while it was still molten. Once the pieces of glass were made, they were arranged into images on a piece of board that had the image drawn on. Once they were placed together, if the artist needed to add details such as shadows or shading, they would do so by painting them on. Afterwards, they would solder the pieces together with H shaped pieces of lead. Then all edges would be lined with clay to make them waterproof. Then the entire panel was stabilized by an iron frame. (Entire process described at http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/glas/hd_glas.htm)
During the construction of some great cathedrals, the men who created them believed “…that the presence of beautiful objects would lift mens’ souls closer to God.”3 This belief was true among many people during that time. With the sun shining within their cathedrals during a sermon, lighting up the pictures of their saints, and filling the great halls with such a warming light… How could they not feel this way about them? Their beauty is astounding, as this art not only captures beautiful images created by the artists but it encompasses those images in the warmth and light from the sun (or even the moon). This art is unique in that way, where it creates different feelings in the viewer depending on the current lighting at the time.
As much of the culture during those times, stained glass also had a main focus on religious purposes. From lighting small churches to great cathedrals, the artists all had a similar goal with their artwork; to lift mens’ souls closer to God through their art, that it may encompass them in “heavenly” light as their worship. These idea and views on the art have led to the creations of some of the most beautiful pieces of art that man has had the pleasure of witnessing.
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