ART HISTORY

Gerhard Richter
Cologne Cathedral Window
2007

This piece by Gerhard Richter is a 106 square meter south transept 72 colour stain glass window, an adaption of one of his many colour grids consisting of randomised squares mirroring one another at intervals.
As predecessor, Wilhelm Teuwen’s 1948 ornamental glazing was in need of restoration, Richter was asked for some stain glass thematic imagery depicting 1 or 2 saints.

The saints: Sister Edith Stein and Father Maximilian Kolbe we’re killed by Nazi execution. Richter found that the gruesome photographs of Nazi hangings, shootings did not suit the luminous colours they would be displayed in.

Almost giving up on the endeavour Richter he laid a template of the window frame on of his paintings, ‘My God! Fantastic,’ I thought ‘this is the only thing.’

COLOUR, TONE

• ‘The color is the response of the eye to differing wavelengths of radiation within the visible spectrum.’
• The colour shifts our emotional state, even with the ‘average’ biblical stain glass depiction it creates this rainbow, kaleidoscopic lighting effect Richter exaggerates this. It reminds me of 90s cartoon introductions, and Tetris/ LEGO. Which disrupts the peacefulness of the church raising new ideas about the ‘place’ for church in our modern, ever changing, globalising society.

‘The value is defined as the relative lightness or darkness, which suggests the depth or volume of a particular object or area, the contrast between black and white and all the tones in between.’ The depth of this artwork struggles to be seen in a 2D flat image, it yearns to be experienced at the original ‘site’ or ‘place.’

PROPORTION

• Proportion ‘Proportion is the comparative relationship in between two or more elements in a composition with respect to size, color, quantity, degree, etc, or between a whole object and one of its parts.’ This work is situated in the second largest cathedral in the world, the church is 157.25 meters giving the atmosphere this grande and large backdrop. The work is 106 square meters which holds a grandeur that matches the importance of this work.

BALANCE, RHYTHM, MOVEMENT

• ‘Balance is the concept of visual equilibrium of similar, opposing, or contrasting elements that together create a unified whole.’ This work is balanced through a symmetrical Triad (biblically representing wholeness and perfection,) as the top is the largest source of light it becomes the focal point- thus the top is the beginning, then the middle and then the bottom is the end. The middle and bottom half with the use of triplicates on both sides and then six blocks on the bottom appearing to stabilise the work.

‘Rhythm is the alternation or repetition of elements with defined intervals between them, it creates a sense of movement and it is used to establish a pattern and/or a texture.’ Although Richter left the colouring to chance, ‘chance is more clever than I,’ he stated. Using mirroring patterns and intervals to divide the artwork creates an order amongst the chaos of colours. Making me wonder, if Richter was trying to communicate that the simple feeling given when the church is filled with this rainbow light, (giving a sense of a higher power and purpose,) is more important the classical depiction and structure of Christianity. Although he doesn’t claim to be religious he may believe in the power of that feeling of a higher power, purpose or an existence of something bigger than yourself.

‘Movement is the visual flow through the composition, where (depending on the elements placement) the designer can direct the viewer´s eye over the surface of the design.’ Movement is created here through the repeating shapes and colours that establish a rhythm. And the movement from the top of the Triad, focal point, to the bottom pillars of the work.

EMPHASIS, REPITITION

• ‘Emphasis marks the location in a composition which most strongly draw the viewers attention.‘ The top of this work draws the viewers attention, calling the viewer to raise their head upwards to view the art/ colours, we may be looking at a deity in the sky and classically in a cathedral people incline their heads in prayer. Although many historical uses for this cathedral have been lost as it’s 20,000 visitors a day walk through for varied reasons, history and modern day are united in this incline of the head.

‘Repetition creates unity and consistency in the composition; it is the reuse of the same, similar or different objects throughout the design.’ The repeating cubes create a unity, however the randomised 72 colours (with sections that mirror one another at intervals) work to disrupt this unity creating more of a splotchy dotted work from afar rather than a grid like format.

SPACE, SOUND

• ‘Space is the area between and around objects, it also refers to variations in the perspective and proportions of objects, lines or shapes and it is used for the comparative relation between different objects or areas.’ This art work is contrasted against the negative space of the grey church walls surrounding it, which emphasise the work and the public, there is a background of people talking, praying, footsteps, cameras clicking etc, humanising this mysterious, intangible art work.

LINE, SHAPE, TEXTURE, FORM

• Line; ‘If we place many points one next to the other we obtain a line, which can have length and direction, but no depth.’ The colours that appear in this block like pattern/ grid through the lines created with rows of dividing cubes. They leave the work looking more structured and Tetris-like.

Shape & Form
‘Shape is an element defined by its perimeter, a closed contour. It is the area that is contained within implied line and it has have two dimensions.’ ‘The Form is derived from the combination of point, line and shape. A form describes volume, the 3D aspect of an object that take up space and it can be viewed from any angle (a cube, a sphere, etc.), it has width, height and depth.’ The shapes created through the divisions of colours, create the cube like base of this work. This work forms a two dimensional/ flat image but the coloured shapes hit by light create this three dimensional feeling.

‘Texture is the surface quality that can be seen and felt, can be rough or smooth, soft or hard, etc. It exists as a surface we can feel, but also as a surface we can see and imagine the sensation we might have if we touch it, is both a tactile and a visual phenomenon.’ The texture in this glass lacks a strong tactile presence however the use of coloured glass works to create the coloured light that fills the church when the sun shines through. This light is an important part of a church and contains a background of mystery and higher powers. I experience a yearning to be bathed in the light when I am in a church, it carries a visual phenomenon with the work.

IN RELATION TO PLACE

• Founded in the first century prior to this cathedral there were had been several previous structures, a grain storage room, a Roman temple, Christian buildings from the 4th century, a square edifice, a baptistery and then from the 9th century a second cathedral. During the excavations for the building now, they found a richly adjourned in grave goods boy, and a woman thought to be Wisigard (a Frankish queen from the 6th century.)

All this layered under this beautiful gothic building is unknown for a lot of people that pass through this place. I visited this cathedral in November last year and was oblivious to the rich history, it was just another cathedral out of the hundreds I’d visited in my travels through Europe.

It is difficult to decipher and understand what we are standing on in any place in any given time. We all experience a calamitous mess of different emotions, however I think looking at this artwork we are transformed to a place, beyond these 20,000 tourists, and we are united within that feeling in this richly historical landmark.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• This page was last edited on 7 March 2020, at 13:53 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral.
• VELUX Group, Published on Nov 1, 2007, https://issuu.com/da-magazine/docs/da07/6.
• Margaret Kohl William H. Berentsen Christopher Angus McIntosh Hugo Stehkämper LAST UPDATED: Mar 19, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/place/Cologne-Germany

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• By Peter Schjeldahl May 5, 2008 https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/05/12/many-colored-glass-peter-schj....
• last edited 6 months ago https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral_Window.