At the age of 21, Sarah D'Avigdor died in a boating accident. As a memorial to her, her parents commissioned Marc Chagall to do a stained glass window in All Saints Church in Tudeley in Kent, England, as she had so admired his paintings at the Louvre. Chagall was only asked to do the one window, but Chagall being Chagall...he did all twelve!What is that painting by David Hockney doing on here? Young as she was, Sarah D'Avigdor admired this artist and was among one of the first to buy one of his paintings. She didn't buy this painting though, the reason that I chose this one is just a personal one, the young man seated in this painting looks very much like my husband when he was younger, with long dark hair, and even the tilt of his head!
I found a clip on Youtube which shows the windows from the church and you can also see the description of them on this site www.tudeley.org/chagall.htm Once on that site, there are two videos there that you may want to watch.
I have not seen these windows by Chagall but I hope to see them one day. One of Richard's friends lives not too far away from this church and he has told me that he would take us when we visit. (I am holding you to this, Dave!)
Marc Chagall is one of those artists that I really like and find fascinating. You may read more about him here http://www.chagallpaintings.org/biography.html
May I leave you with something that Chagall wrote about stained glass? I think it is beautiful...
For me, a stained glass window is a transparent partition between my heart and the heart of the world...
It has to live through the perception of light.
To read the Bible is to perceive a certain light and the window must make this obvious through its simplicity and grace.
Here, this is the one to click on for Youtube...the other stained glass windows here are all from the Monastery which is right here in Conyers, Georgia. Notice how the blue window at the monastery ( the very last one on here) is very much like the blue from Chagall!
Stained glass windows are so beautiful to me and I always look carefully at them at any church I have ever visited. Do you have any favorites that you could let me know about? Have you ever seen any that have made you have that sharp intake of breath that means you are inspired by them?
David Hockney is what my mother-in-law would call a Yorkshire lad, and some years ago, he has returned to the area where he comes from, now painting huge landscapes. They are great, I think, even if so far I have only seen photos and not had the pleasure of looking at the real pictures.
ReplyDeleteDear Meike,
DeleteMaybe you can see them the next time you visit England!
Do you enjoy art as much as I do?
Those are very beautiful, Kay. I like stained glass windows, but don't have a link to any that really appeal to me. The churches that I frequented in my old city (all the way back to my childhood) have beautiful stained glass windows.
ReplyDeleteDear Martha,
DeleteNot too many stained glass windows in the churches that I went to as a child. These stained glass windows from the monastery are really huge and were made by the monks themselves. The first time that I saw this monastery was when I was a teenager and I fell in love with the building, the stained glass windows and the grounds!
Hi Kay. I used to live in Switzerland and the Fraumunster (a church) in Zurich has some beautiful Chagall windows. Those would be my favorite, especially the blue one....
ReplyDeleteDear Audrey,
DeleteYou used to live in Switzerland, you are one lucky gal!
I love blue! Oh, I just looked them up. Thank you, they are beautiful.
Those are really lovely, Kay. What a wonderful memorial to their daughter to have Chagall design a window! Since I grew up in small country churches (where my Daddy preached), I haven't seen a lot of stained glass windows. But I am always inspired and in awe when I do.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do get to see the windows by Chagall one day.
Dear Beth,
DeleteI am a small town southern girl like you. The churches where I grew up had plain glass windows, hard pews and paper fans to fan yourself in the heat. Does all that sound familar? I find the sight of stained glass inspiring but it is not essential for me. As a child, I was just as inspired with the crayons in an old Whitman's chocolate box in my Sunday school class and with all the stories from the Bible...that was my color.
And Beth, thank you, if I get to see the windows, I will do a post about it, to be sure!
Hi,Kay. Yes ma'am...it does indeed sound familiar. Did you have Vacation Bible School, too, with Kool-Aide and cookies and macaroni crafts and swearing allegiance to the American and Christian flags?
DeleteI love what you said about the crayons in the old Whitman's chocolate box---I know exactly what you mean. :-)
I love it when I learn new things about my own country on here! Somewhere else to add to my list of places to visit. Daughter and husband are going to a David Hockney exhibition on Friday.
ReplyDeleteDear Tracey,
DeleteYou will have to let me know about what they think about the art by David Hockney!
Hope you get to that church in Kent, you are closer than I am!
Gosh, Kay, I have so many in mind when I think of beautioful stained glass windows. I'll have to do you a list some time and see if you can find photos of them. I have dozens (hundreds?) of photos I have taken and keep telling myself to re-organise them but never find the time. I'll send you some when I do.
ReplyDeleteJohn
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Dear John,
DeleteI would very much like to see your photos of stained glass windows. In England, I could spend all my time in gardens, museums and churches.
There is a Chagall window in Chichester Cathedral, here in West Sussex, UK.
ReplyDeleteDear John,
ReplyDeleteI just saw a photo of it! Oh,it is so beautiful!
Please tell me that you have seen it! The photo that I just saw was taken during a Festival of Flowers and the flowers underneath the window perfectly mimicked the colors of the stained glass...really, really lovely. Thank you for telling me.
Hi Kay,
ReplyDeleteI've awarded you - sound of trumpets - a Liebster Award! See my blog for the details.
Best wishes,
Joan (aka JSK)
Hi Kay, I watched the "Marc Chagall's American Windows" video and found it absolutely fascinating. These works of art are so exciting, modern and yet timeless in their design - he was a true master. Thank you for thiis extremely interesting post!
ReplyDeleteI also love stained glass windows. They were prevalent in my local church when I was young.
ReplyDeleteHey Paul!
DeleteThanks for your comment! Hope you always enjoy color in your life!