The Art of Glass in Canada     

Marshall McLuhan pointed out the mysterious difference between "light-on", as in a painting, and "light through", the special allure of colour reaching the eye through a transparent medium.

Glass in a multitude of traditional and modern forms is perhaps Canada's most widespread public art.  Radiant creations from  three centuries illuminate public buildings in virtually every city and town of this vast country.

Canadian studios began at least as early as 1856,   founded by European-trained artists in Québec and Ontario. Windows were often commissioned from  England,  France, Germany and the United States, along with a few other European countries.

More than 30 milestones in Canadian history are richly depicted at Canadian Memorial Chapel in Vancouver, beginning with Giovanni Caboto's arrival in 1497. 

Today, artists and crafts people in every province continue the ancient tradition in styles ranging from the medieval and Victorian, to 20th century modernism, naive and folk art, and the avant-garde.

 

Angels and Demons  slide show:   We found only a few "real" demons  in stained glass,  including this scaly green monster made in 1170 for Troyes Cathedral in  France.  Nowadays, demons are usually symbolized by snakes and dragons.  Angels are still Angels.

If you look carefully you may find one of the worst human demons of the 20th Century. Hint: his initial is H.

 

 

Interactive 3-D Panoramas from Québec:          

Notre Dame de Bon Secours Chapel, Montréal (1771)                                                                            Shrine of  Saint Anne de Beaupré,  near Québec City  (1926)                      

Panoramic photos courtesy                                   Jean-Pierre Lavoie  ©  2012