Visual Rhetoric of Stained Glass Windows in the Medieval Church

by

Damon Wilkins

Professor Bradley

Southern Methodist University

English 1302: Images as Argument

5 April 2007

            Traveling across the European countryside varies greatly than traveling cross-country in America.  What about such a comparison intrigues the mind?  True, countless centuries of history pervade all of Europe to the extent  that it makes the grand continent antiquated when compared to our rather young American home.  Other than the flow of energy through the air, Medieval architecture on the horizon surely provides the best visual representation of the majestic quality of ages gone by.  To see the castles and cathedrals of such past times takes the viewer to another time in another place.   Imagine yourself journeying to a towering Gothic cathedral as its presence lures in your imagination almost as if, rather than an object from times past, this demanding structure comes straight out of the future, so foreign to your foreign eyes.  One cannot help but think of how important unified religion was to the ancient culture that built such amazing structures to have such an effect.

Traditionally, stained glass windows in the Medieval church played little to no role in our historical perception of Medieval times, other than as another architectural component of Gothic structures.  After ages of elemental wear, stained glass remains barely perceivable on the exterior as being anything except a dark window.  In reality, the presence of stained glass as a form of religious communion proved powerful to the religious imagination of the church going peoples of the Middle Ages, partially through the colorful visual presence light as seen through stained glass and partially through the imagery of story as depicted in stained glass panels.  This communion still occurs in the world today.

As shown in Figure 1, the Gothic cathedral truly provides the viewer with an emotional reaction through its construction so different from anything we see built today or even located within the United States.  This face of the Salisbury Cathedral was completed in 1265 and restored in 2000 (Salisbury).

Notice the exquisite detail throughout the face of the structure and how the darkness of the windows almost adds more depth to the overall form while failing to allude to any brilliance in relation to the stained glass fixtures.  Even though the West Front was restored the nature of light shining onto the stained glass windows, or any window for that matter, with dark open voids behind them results in lack of viewer attention to the windows.  This exterior image demonstrates the necessity of light as seen through stained glass to give the stained glass aesthetic value. 

The interaction of light causes color to come to life, thus stained glass as an art form becomes artistic through the medium of light (Hayward 98).  The viewer perception of color and form due to the introduction of light seen in Figure 2 illustrates an extreme difference of reaction in comparison to exterior views of stained glass.

This keyhole panel originating from the choir St. Leonhard in Germany, dated around 1340, still retains its brilliance, serving as an excellent example of the craftsmanship that was widespread throughout Germany at the time (Stained-Glass 125).  This authoritative form transposed with religious symbolism to relate the life and miracles of saints.  This type of religious usage effectively conveyed stories to the illiterate, leading stained glass windows to be dubbed “the bible of the poor” (Propaganda 23).  In addition, part of the appeal of stained glass to the people of the Middle Ages lied in the rarity of the distribution of stained glass in general throughout the world, further helping the religious cause.    

The frame, or leading, of the panel served multiple purposes of outlining the basic image while also holding the glass pieces together to form a single work.  In this way, the major elements of design take their shape. As seen in Figure 3, the form consists of more than simply the colored panels of glass.  At first glance, the scene chaotically focuses on a central  point.  Actually, the work shows Christ’s hands bound to a column as flagellation occurs

(Techniques 108). With this knowledge, the scene makes more sense as the mind visually puts the details inherent in the whole work into mental perspective.  Thus, the colored glass serves two related functions: to add depth to objects within an image and to provide the viewer with details of the image.  Both of these elements allow the artists of the day to come as close as possible to manifest three-dimensional scenes in two-dimensional space.  As practice and experience in glass making progressed, artists of the day became more adept at technological advances in glass making techniques.  One example of this advancement is seen in the new form of glazing style within the glass pieces in Figure 4 (Stained-Glass 122).  Notice the swirls in the blue squares and even in the robes of the holy men.  Narratives also began to appear as opposed to single figures because of more technological advancement. 

        As fate would have it, history has retained a wide array of stained glass from simple to complex.  The study of stained glass even shows instances in which seemingly single works contain a variety of parts from different stages of the Middle Ages.  The history of stained glass originated out of the precedence set by religion and this religious theme is seen in the most preserved works of Medieval times.  (The recent resurgence of stained glass in the 19th century has deviated from this theme with widespread artistic ideology.)   Religion used the dynamic conjunction of light and story telling as the driving force behind the art of Medieval stained glass.  This ancient ability of religion to unify with art varies greatly with that of the state of religion as we know it.  Along this vein, both the majestic structures of Gothic times and Medieval stained glass vary greatly from similar works of more recent cultures. As seen through these images, stained glass played a much larger role in Medieval times than as a supplement to Gothic architechture.

Works Cited

Cohen, Esther.  "The Propaganda of Saints in the Middle Ages". Journal of Communication. 31 (4), 16–26.

     Blackwell-Synergy.  Central University Libraries, Southern Methodist U. 5 Apr. 2007 <http://www.blackwell-synergy.com>
 

Hayward, Jane. "Painted Windows". The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 30, No. 3, Stained Glass Windows. (Dec1971 - Jan1972): 98-101.

     JSTOR.  Central University Libraries, Southern Methodist U.  4 Apr. 2007 <http://links.jstor.org/>

Keyhole medallion frame depicting a saint.  "Stained-Glass Windows: An Exhibition of Glass in the Metropolitan Museum's Collection". The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 30, No. 3, Stained Glass Windows. (Dec1971 - Jan1972): 125.

     JSTOR.  Central University Libraries, Southern Methodist U.  4 Apr. 2007 <http://links.jstor.org/>

Leading of a Flagellation.  "Techniques of Stained Glass: Illustrations to the Introduction".  The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 30, No. 3, Stained Glass Windows. (Dec1971 - Jan1972): 102-09.

     JSTOR.  Central University Libraries, Southern Methodist U. 5 Apr. 2007 <http://links.jstor.org/>

Salisbury Cathedral.  <http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/history.cathedral.php>

Scenes from the life of St. Vincent of Spain."Stained-Glass Windows: An Exhibition of Glass in the Metropolitan Museum's Collection". The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 30, No. 3, Stained Glass Windows. (Dec1971 - Jan1972): 122.

     JSTOR.  Central University Libraries, Southern Methodist U.  4 Apr. 2007 <http://links.jstor.org/>

"Stained-Glass Windows: An Exhibition of Glass in the Metropolitan Museum's

Collection". The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series 30 (3) Stained Glass Windows. (Dec1971 - Jan1972): 110-52.

     JSTOR.  Central University Libraries, Southern Methodist U.  4 Apr. 2007 <http://links.jstor.org/>

"Techniques of Stained Glass: Illustrations to the Introduction".  The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series 30(3) Stained Glass Windows. (Dec1971 - Jan1972): 102-09.

     JSTOR.  Central University Libraries, Southern Methodist U. 5 Apr. 2007 <http://links.jstor.org/>

The West Front circa 1265. Salisbury Cathedral.  <http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/img/gallery/large/nref_5.jpg>