27 May, 2014

Art on glass !

One of my favourite objects of photography is glass paintings. Of late I have been clicking glass paintings in churches. This one in a church which is four hundred years old, looks fresh and brilliant in colour. It is fixed on the main window facing the altar at a height about 100 feet, visible from a distance. What strikes anyone, once he or she enters through the main entrance is this piece of art with its enduring elegance.

The art work on glass is a special because it is done with skilled artists with precision and co-ordination. Of late the paintings are done by computer aided technology, unlike in the past.

What strikes me about  any form of art work on glass is its longevity and freshness  in spite of passing time. There are some things meant to last unlike many art forms having a short shelf life or short span of interest.

I grew up in my early thirties when abstract art forms on canvas was becoming popular. Now imagery, scenes, sights, mystery in nature, portraying biographical sketches, etc. have returned to occupy the theme of artists. When I visited an art gallery, most of the paintings were visibly illustrative of common themes which anyone can connect with. I was glad that there were less abstract things which would only be accessible to an artistically trained mind to understand the message concealed in the abstract forms.

I like this return because, it is a sign that after a convoluted thinking on art designs, artists are returning to be communicative to a wider community than just to the art connoisseurs.

I was also moved by the serenity of the face, the alertness in the eyes and the beholding look. The encircling halo around the head symboling the cross is a mystical dimension of this painting- in fact gospel in a nutshell!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo) 

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