subject: Stained Glass – Limits in the Artist's Freedom of Choosing the Design [print this page] Stained Glass Limits in the Artist's Freedom of Choosing the Design
Stained glass is a creative field of art, but in many aspects it is also restricted because of circumstances that are unrelated to the artist's ability or limits in resources. Hence, it is also practical, utilitarian art that is firmly grounded on the demands of reality. The two most important such circumstances are the building itself in which the work will be held, and other effects that are created due to the building. These limit the artists' freedom of choosing a design and he or she has to work around them to create a work that is of high quality yet does not conspicuously disrupt its surroundings.
1. Usually, before the design of the stained glass is determined, the building in which it will be held must be built. Thus, there will be a fixed frame of stone, brick, or wood that restricts the artist. He will not be able to build outside of the frame no matter what, unless he can design the entire building himself. (Which is almost always impossible.) Moreover, there will be significant time constraint if the entire building has to be finished within a certain time frame, so that the artist may have to rush through his job. Like this, the constraints in finishing the building itself are important factors that influence the artist's design.
2. Elements such as light, height, and so on will be fixed depending on the fixed frame of the building. Thus, one of the abilities that distinguishes a good artist should be the ability to maximize the benefits of such extraneous factors and minimize their drawbacks. Only then would a stained glass work be in harmony with its environment. No matter how superb the skills of an artist are, if he or she cannot take advantage of the surroundings, its aesthetic impact would be diminished.
Because of these reasons, stained glass is not simply painting done on a semi-transparent surface. The artist cannot always choose the ideal canvas for himself. Thus, as we appreciate stained glass, we should take such factors into account. This is why the vocabulary used to appreciate paintings cannot always work with stained glass.
