Color in Black & White (#4): Stained Glass Designs, 1937

JF Ptak Science Books  Post 2396    

Part of the series on the History of Blank, Empty, and Missing Things

Sometimes the suggestion of color is color enough, though I had never really thought about it in terms of stained glass windows before.  They do have an elegance, even in photographs (never having seen anything extensive in person, just bits and pieces). These designs weren't in black and white in real life--they were just printed so, for unknown reasons, even though the portfolio in which they appeared was half-luxurious. (I have a book depicting the windows at Chartres that is also done in black and white.)  This makes a good and appropriate entry in a long series on this blog called Blank, Empty, and Missing Things, the "missing" part here being color outside of black and white.

The following images are of modernist stained glass designs collected and curated by Robert Mallet-Stevens (1866-1945)--one of the leading between-the-wars French architects--for the International Exposition of 1937.  

"L'Exposition de 1937, qui nous montre la 'généralisation' de l'architecture moderne, nous offre quelques vitraux de tout premier plan... Quand l'architecte voit dans l'espace des volumes bien ordonnés, le peintre verrier trace des lignes et oppose des couleurs heureuses... Je n'oserai dire que l'architecture moderne est en plein progrès, mais je puis affirmer que le vitrail 'va très bien'!"   From he introduction, by Mallet-Stevens. (Basically, Mallet-Stevens is saying that the Expo is presenting the newest form of modernist architecture, and that the stained glass work in particular was powering ahead ("'va très bien'!")). 

The images are from  MALLET-STEVENS, Robert. Exposition internationale de 1937. Vitraux modernes. Avant-propos de Paul Léon. Paris: Charles Moreau, 1937. Portefeuille in-4 (320 x 250 mm). 48 fine plates reproducing the work of  Décorchemont, Maumejean, Cingria, Robert Delaunay, and others.