Awe. Stillness. Peace. These were my first emotions to the leaded glass window Autumn Landscape--The River of Life.Olivia drew my attention to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s stained glass piece titled Autumn Landscape--The River of Life (1923-1924), which is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Some might associate Tiffany with beautiful and expensive jewelry (think Breakfast at Tiffany’s), and this would be appropriate since he was the son of Tiffany and Co. owner, Charles Tiffany. Perhaps best known for his beautiful glass lampshades, L.C. Tiffany belonged to the Art Nouveau movement, which utilized flowing, natural lines as found in flowers and vines. The Art Nouveau movement also emphasized art and artistry found in all mediums (architecture, furniture, crafts) and adhered to the “art for art’s sake” principle of the Aesthetic movement.
A focal point for Tiffany’s eleven-foot tall window “Autumn Landscape” is “the river of life,” flowing through the center of the piece. The window contains over 1,000 pieces of glass, and Tiffany created several different glass techniques to achieve the colors and swirls within individual glass segments.
This work is in the corner of the American gallery, and I had the opportunity to view it up close and from quite a distance. What struck me was how different lighting emphasized different aspects of the work. From a distance, and at a diagonal, the mountains in the background seemed to move to the foreground as they took on a rich purple shadow from the setting sun. Looking at the window straight on, the river’s greens swirl into blue and glimmer with the day’s fading light. Perhaps it is my age (am I in the autumn of my youth?), but the autumn in “Autumn Landscape” seemed inconsequential. I know how to interpret symbols, so I understand the symbolism of the setting sun and the fall colors throughout the glass. But the radiant colors in the mountains and river, suffused with a rich green did not evoke the coming winter. There is great life and beauty in this autumn scene.
According to the faculty traveling with me this was one of the most powerful and memorable pieces we viewed today. Thanks, Olivia, for sending us to a corner of the museum that we might have missed.
i am so glad that you were able to see this for me. stained glass is so fascinating and it is seemingly incomprehensible to me that man can fashion such a thing with his hands. the colors are beautiful and i think the designs seemed so intricate which is why i chose it in the first place. sometimes simplicity has its place, but i generally prefer artists who pay attention to detail and put a lot of care into their creations.
ReplyDeletein addition, i can not imagine the time something like this stained glass would take. it is amazing that someone figured out how to piece each part together and create such a magnificent masterpiece. i love stained glass and am amazed by the process that the creator must follow in order to form such art. when i originally chose this piece, i did not actually realize its tremendous size. it might seem inconsequential, but i think the large size increases the beauty of the glass by so much. the time and effort sacrificed to do something so difficult and perfect (as it can be) is rewarding to the viewer and i wish that i were able to see the window in person someday so i too can witness the effects of light on it.
ReplyDeleteLike Olivia, stained glass has always fascinated me with its beautiful colors and designs. Light already is so pure and clear, but then to see it reflected through a stained glass window gives the light this magical quality. You almost feel like you’re in a different realm, in your own little bit of heaven. This window by Tiffany is so beautiful, I’m not even sure how to describe it and give it justice – the colors just all flow and blend together so to me when I first looked at it I thought it was a painting. Autumn has always been one of my favorite seasons because of all the colors and the feeling of contentment you get from walking through the trees. Another reason I love this window is because the scene reminds me of my home state of Montana with the view of the distant mountains through the trees. I don’t know what place inspired Tiffany when he made this window but to me it means home. Montana has so many breath-taking views and this window seems to capture them all in one moment. There aren’t very many places anymore where you can just go to get away from the busyness of city-life but the view of the mountains in the window captures it all – the peace, the silence, the beauty of the world. -Alaura Berg
ReplyDeleteThis piece is fascinating to me because I can't imagine the amount of patience that it took to put together. It could drive a man insane trying to put all those little bits of glass in order. Even more important than patience is Tiffany's ability to see the big picture. How easy it is to draw, mold, or sketch yourself into a corner because of failure to see the bigger picture in a work of art.
ReplyDeleteI'll take two of them.