Soulages, Richter, and others : abstract stained-glass windows performing in medieval sacral monuments as a universal language for strategic public commissions from the 1960s to 2000s

english

2025

volume 30, issue 2

abstract stained glass   Cologne (Germany)   commodification of art   Gerhard Richter   Jaroslava Brychtová   medieval monuments   Pierre Soulages   Prague (Czechia)   stained glass   Stanislav Libenský   St-Foy de Conques

ZRC SAZU, Umetnostnozgodovinski inštitut Franceta Steleta
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

This study explores how modern abstract stained-glass interventions can profoundly transform the atmosphere and meaning of medieval sacred monuments, imbuing them with new layers of spiritual, aesthetic, and collective identity. Focusing on non-figurative works by the renowned artists Pierre Soulages (Saint Faith’s Church in Conques, France), Gerhard Richter (Cologne Cathedral in Germany), and Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová (Saint Vitus’s Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic), the research investigates how such interventions reinterpret tradition through contemporary visual language. It considers the performative and symbolic potency of these artworks, examining the intent of both their artists and commissioners, and how these projects reflect broader ideological contexts of a politically divided world and its aftermath. Ultimately, the study probes the unique resonance between medieval and modern artistic expression, revealing how abstract stained glass can serve as a spiritually and socially legitimizing force within historically layered sacred spaces.

01.09.2026