Issuu

peter swanson –creative team – executive producer

Contents

Robert LeCompte

text and principal photography Peter Swanson

additional text Diane Ney, Dr. Deborah McCellan, Elody Crimi

graphic design and production Peter Gustafson

Acknowledgments..........................................................................................................iv

Dedication.......................................................................................................................vi

Introduction...................................................................................................................vii

project management Elody Crimi

editor Dr. Deborah McCellan

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

PART 1—Rowan’s Early Years, 1925–1949...................................................... 1 PART 2—The Windows, 1942–1950............................................................... 19 PART 1—The Formative Years, 1950–1970.................................................. 48

ISBN: 978-178884-172-6 The rights of Global Visions and Associates Inc. to be identified as authors

PART 2—The Windows, 1950–1970............................................................... 81

of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Chapter 3

PART 1—A Glorious Light, 1970–2014....................................................... 176 PART 2—The Windows, 1970–2014............................................................. 220

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Photo Credits.............................................................................................................. 303

A CIP record for this book is available from The British Library

Printed in Slovenia for ACC Art Books Ltd., Woodbridge, Suffolk, England

Glossary......................................................................................................................... 304

Window Locations.................................................................................................... 306

www.accartbooks.com

iii

PART 1

Chapter 1

Rowan’s Early Years, 1925–1949

The Awakening Rowan LeCompte first drew breath in 1925, but he maintained in later life that his “second birthday” was in 1939, the year he discovered the stained-glass windows of Washington Cathedral. At the age of 14, he walked into the half-built cathedral and entered a world of light that he’d previously only heard about and seen in pictures. That world would become his spiritual home for the rest of his life. Rowan tells the story in his own words: “This was in July of 1939. My aunt, who was visiting from Canada, offered to take me on a tour of Washington, DC. This was probably because she knew I was passionately interested in architecture and painting.” A short train ride had brought Rowan and his aunt to the capital city, and to Washington Cathedral. As Rowan described it: “We walked up a set of concrete steps and then across a great walk of wood to a big tin wall held up by vast beams of wood and then in through a door into darkness, but it wasn’t all darkness. There was a marvelous rose window floating in the darkness. And I was inside a vast building, the like of which I had never seen before. It went up an unthinkable height and the air was filled with music. The organist was playing Handel and I recognized it at once. But I did not recognize the building as anything I had ever seen before. It was a magic, marvelous, dim, ravishing, beautiful place, and I was stunned. Really, I was stunned. And I think of that as my second birthday because it did change my life utterly. And from that time on I was obsessed with the architecture and the stained glass.”

Top: Washington Cathedral under construction in 1939. Right: The Cathedral’s “North Rose” window proved inspirational. Opposite: Hand-blown stained glass, Rowan’s primary medium.

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The Rose 1946 St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church Baltimore, MD West end Artists – Rowan LeCompte and Robert Lewis Fabricators – Rowan LeCompte and Robert Lewis

THIS WINDOW WAS A HUGE PROJECT for the two young artists. After 9 months of work, Rowan and Robert installed the completed 12-foot diameter window in freezing weather. What is particularly striking about this window is the way it represents Rowan’s first foray outside the figurative style. The intricate, interlaced abstract designs in this window appear for the first time in Rowan’s work. They show up again a little later in the window Rowan created with his wife Irene for the College of Preachers, and then again in 1976 in his most famous work, the “Creation Rose” window at Washington Cathedral. This abstract design includes various types of crosses, as well as flames, stars, comets, and bolts of white light. In each of the eight petals, a large cross is defined by bright, elongated pieces of aqua-colored glass, and there are other crosses scattered throughout: in the very center of the window; in each of the eight circles between the petals; and within each petal. One clue to Rowan and Robert’s thinking regarding the overall theme of this window comes from its inscription: “Love is the whole and more than all.” The final line of the poem by E.E. Cummings was written in his father’s honor after his sudden death in 1926.

Left: Rowan’s 1954 journal. Right: “Humanitarians I,” detail of Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Lower left: Elizabeth Seton HS “Wall of Windows,” detail. Lower right “Saint Luke” and details from “Earth,” “Air,” “Fire,” and “Water,” St. Alban’s Church.

Their other 1960 window was close to 15 by 30 feet, and it gave Rowan and Irene some unusual national attention. This monumental window was for National City Church, an iconic building in Washington, DC. At the time, Norman Rockwell was painting a cover for the Saturday Evening Post magazine that depicted a stained glass repairman he had seen in Westminster Abbey on a trip to England. Rockwell already knew Rowan and Irene, so when he had trouble capturing the luminosity of the stained glass, he consulted them for advice. They sent him a cartoon of the window they were working on at the time, which was this window at National City Church. The design in Rockwell’s painting (below) is based on Rowan and Irene’s window, but the focus in his painting is only on the upper detail of the angels lifting the cross and not on the majority of the stained-glass window. Rowan actually posed (right) for Rockwell’s painting for the magazine’s April 16, 1960 cover, and is credited as the model for the repairman in the painting.

A New Decade Given that Rowan and Irene made only two windows in 1960, one might think that they were easing off. However, while one of the commissions was small, the other was monumental. The small window, “Saint Alban Shelters a Christian Priest” (right and below), was the first of five for the chapel in St. Albans School, and depicted events in the life of Saint Alban. The school’s brochure on the windows, written by Allie Benson and Lynne Mitchell, says, “The St. Alban series is the result of a unique collaboration between the Reverend Craig Eder, Chaplain of St. Albans School, and artist Rowan LeCompte. The approach to these windows is a modern interpretation of deep intellectual and spiritual ideas. Eder and LeCompte’s vivid recollections reflect a creative synergy which bursts forth in the color and design of the windows. Artist Irene LeCompte was also deeply involved in the creative process.” There is certainly a modern feel to the designs, and one can imagine Picasso and Matisse having been an influence.

Yet another mosaic (panel #2) for the cathedral was installed in 1967 and was warmly received, as noted in its building committee report: “This panel is in complete harmony with the three existing panels. Mr. Peter expressed his considerable appreciation of the beauty of the panel, and moved that it be approved.” The two artists completed two more windows in 1967, one small and one quite large. The small window was an abstract design for Saint Andrew’s Church in Wellesley, Massachusetts, that has exquisite glass and graceful lines. During the period from 1965 to 1969, Rowan and Irene created some really beautiful abstract windows, and this one is no exception. The large window was for Washington Cathedral and, while it is not an abstract design, it is very modern in its depiction of the Transfiguration of Christ. This window presented several problems for Rowan to overcome. The building committee notes indicate: “His chief and major problem was that of a large figure in ‘glistering white’ that would not blind the eye when in the direct southern sun. If the artist surrounded this glistering white figure with primary colors such as red or blue, it would have presented an impossible contrast. He solved the problem by using a glowing orange color.” Another concern for any stained-glass artist is the integrity and strength of a window’s structure and how it can be anchored to its building without compromising the design. A modern stained-glass window is generally attached to transverse bars with copper wires that have been soldered into the window. Apparently the cathedral architect, Phillip Frohman, was concerned that in this case there were too many transverse bars, and as Dean Sayre told Canon Feller, “Rowan replied that he understood the comment and thought he could take care of it, not by diminishing their number (for he thought them necessary on account of weight) but by diminishing their visibility through bright contiguous color.” A noteworthy thing about this window is that this was the first LeCompte window that Dieter Goldkuhle helped fabricate; and it would not be the last. Clockwise from top left: Detail from the mosaic “The Appearance on the Road to Emmaus” (#2); detail showing dove from St. Andrew’s abstract window; example of one of three abstract windows at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Laramie, WY; the “glowing orange color” within the “Transfiguration of Christ” at Washington Cathedral. Opposite page: “Jesus Appears to the Seven Disciples” mosaic (#5).

In 1968, Rowan and Irene traveled back to Laramie, Wyoming, to deliver their last three windows for St. Matthew’s Cathedral. Once again, these were purely abstract windows, another radical departure from what was already in the building. This was one of the hallmarks of Rowan and Irene’s work—that they continued to challenge the status quo regarding what works within the walls of churches. Sometimes they got it wrong, but they never played it safe. Also in 1968, a fifth mosaic (panel #5) was installed in Resurrection Chapel at Washington Cathedral.

Church of the Epiphany

Church of the Servant

Washington, DC – 1957 South wall, east transept

Miracles

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Wilmington, NC – 1957 (from Church of the Epiphany, Washington, DC) Artists – Rowan LeCompte and Irene Matz LeCompte Fabricators – Rowan LeCompte and Irene Matz LeCompte

ORIGINALLY CREATED IN 1957 for the Church of the

Artists – Rowan LeCompte and Irene Matz LeCompte

Epiphany in Washington, DC, these windows were moved to

Fabricators – Rowan LeCompte and Irene Matz LeCompte

the Church of the Servant in Wilmington, NC.

WHAT IS MOST STRIKING in this window are the

“While John the Baptist was in prison he sent two disciples

facial expressions. With just a few simple strokes, Rowan

to ask Jesus, ‘Are you the one who is to come?’” In the right

and Irene portray a variety of human reactions, from

lancet, Jesus tells the disciples to report what they see back

astonishment and joy to gratitude and contemplation.

to John, as graphically illustrated here: “The blind see, the

The left lancet is from Matthew 11:2-6 and Luke 7:18-23:

deaf hear, the lame walk, and the dead are raised.”

Narthex

Resembling a woodcut, the monochrome effect is punctuated with pieces of colored glass carefully placed in a brilliantly subtle arrangement. The combination of color and transparency in the glass creates an interesting effect. This is a scene from the account of the feeding of the 5,000 with just five loaves and two fishes, which is told in all four gospels.

With just a few strokes of black paint, the artists show Jesus comforting children whose expressions range from curiosity to sadness. The silhouettes of disciples and appreciative, attentive mothers look on. As the parents bring their children to see Jesus, and are rebuked by the disciples, Jesus says, “Let the children come to me…for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

Feeding the Multitude

Let the Children Come

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A House Built for Glass How dedicated can an artist be to his or her art? Rowan showed just how far that dedication can go when, in the late 1970s, he and Peggy had a house specially designed and built in Virginia to accommodate the nave clerestory windows he was making for the cathedral. Rowan wanted to be able to see each of his clerestory windows in its entirety while it was in progress, and their high-rise apartment could not accommodate a window that tall, so he had a home built in the Virginia countryside. Its 26-foot-high ceiling with an east-facing floor-to-ceiling window the size of a cathedral clerestory window (excepting the quatrefoil) gave him the space he needed to work without compromise. This house was the scene of many memorable parties given by Rowan and Peggy to celebrate each window as it was completed. The arriving guests —members of the cathedral community, family, friends, and stained-glass colleagues—were dazzled by their first sight of the finished window as they walked in, in effect viewing the “unveiling” of the window before it was moved to the cathedral. At Washington Cathedral, production of the clerestory windows was continuing. The “Jeremiah” and “Isaiah” windows were installed in 1981 and “Psalms” in 1982. In the “Psalms” window, Rowan celebrated his wife Peggy and her children. Rowan said he very much valued her wonderful mind and generous spirit, and he used Peggy as the model for the woman in the center-left lancet; her children are featured in the parade of musicians in the lower portion of the window. Rowan often used people he knew as models. His friend Mel Greenland was the model for “Noah,” which was finished in 1983. Apart from the clerestory project, Rowan produced two round windows in 1982–1983, one an official cathedral window and one strictly unofficial. The official window was the “Gable Wheel,” which sits in the Pilgrim Gallery above the “Creation Rose” window. The unofficial window was a gift for cathedral organist Richard “Wayne” Dirksen and his wife, given by their children on the occasion of the couple’s 40th wedding anniversary.

A Dark Cloud Around 1982, as the openings in the clerestory walls were being filled in, concern began to develop regarding what was thought to be a lack of luminosity of the clerestory windows. This reining in of the luminosity had been part of the original intent. Whenever the nave was bathed in light, the other side of the crossing appeared extremely dark by comparison, and there was a concern that the brilliant nave would eclipse the activity in the choir. Working with the building committee and Canon Feller, Rowan developed a plan to gradually lift the luminosity of the windows from the crossing toward the west front, so that the windows

Above: The house Rowan built to accommodate the design and fabrication of the nave clerestory windows. Far right, top to bottom: “Jeremiah” window at the Washington National Cathedral; detail from “Noah” window, modeled on Mel Greenland. Immediate right:

would be darkest near the crossing and lightest near the west front. There was a consensus that “Isaiah,” which had by then been dubbed the “Black Window,” was too dark and needed to be reworked. However, this reworking would have meant interrupting the progress of the other clerestory windows, and so while changes were made to the overall clerestory color plan, the issue of redoing “Isaiah” was tabled until a future date. Progress was indeed being made, and in 1984 and 1985, “Prophecy,” “Paul,” and “Job” were installed.

Detail from the “Psalms” window with likenesses of Peggy’s children. 194

195

Above: North Clerestory Windows, and Bottom: South Clerestory Windows, in situ.

Finding Focus Except for crafting two small windows for the narthex of the

selection and painting on “Reformation and Growth of the

once commented that, like the great Italian artists, Rowan had

California to London. According to Richard, the greatest thing

National City Church in Washington, DC (1989), Rowan was

Hebrew Nation” in his California studio in 1989, with Dieter

created his own atelier, a studio of apprentices, artists, and

that this ensemble produced was a remarkably consistent set of

finally able, between 1987 and 2000, to focus almost exclusively

again doing the fabrication.

craftspeople, to deliver the clerestory windows. He felt that as

windows under Rowan’s direction over the course of nearly 20

an independent stained-glass artist, Rowan was a maverick in a

years. For Mary Clerkin Higgins, Rowan’s studio, like those of

time when most stained-glass windows were done under a rigid,

the great masters of the Renaissance, provided an opportunity

“factory”-type studio system. Unlike most conventional studios,

for artists to come together to learn, share their expertise, and

Rowan’s atelier was not under one roof, but rather spread from

create great works of art.

on completing the clerestory windows, much to the delight of Washington National Cathedral. In this work he continued to be assisted by several gifted stained-glass artists.

In 1991, Rowan asked Mary Clerkin Higgins, by then an artist with her own studio, to assist with the painting and do the fabrication of the “Faith of the Hebrews” window. In the same year Peter Mollica fabricated “Religion and Righteousness.” Dieter was soon back on board, delivering “Covenant with God’s People” in 1993. Then there was a break until 1998, when Dieter did the fabrication of “Hebrew Women of the Bible.” In 1995 Rowan had turned 70, and clearly the whole process was slowing down, but once Mary completed the work

In 1987 Rowan finished “John the Baptist” at the cathedral, with Dieter Goldkuhle doing the fabricating. Dieter also did

200

on “Suffering and Redemption” in 2000, all the openings in the clerestory were finally filled with beautiful glass.

the fabrication of the “Lineage of Jesus” window in 1988, but

Richard Avidon and Mary Clerkin Higgins have stressed the

Richard Avidon did the glass selection and painting. Peter

significance and wide geographic distribution of this group of

Mollica, another one of Rowan’s collaborators, did the color

individuals who contributed to the clerestory project. Richard

Top: “Christmas” and “Easter” window details.

Top row, left to right: Details from “Faith of the Hebrews” (Mary Clerkin Higgins, painting and assistance); “Religion and Righteousness” (Peter Mollica, fabrication); “Covenant with God’s People” (Dieter Goldkuhle, fabrication).

Right, left–right: Details from “John the Baptist;” “Lineage of Jesus;” and “Reformation and Growth of the Hebrew Nation.”

Bottom row, left to right: “Hebrew Women of the Bible” (Dieter Goldkuhle, fabrication); “Suffering and Redemption” (Mary Clerkin Higgins, completed work).

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Washington National Cathedral Washington, DC – 1991

Faith of the Hebrews

Nave, north clerestory, bay 6 (White Bay)

THIS IS THE ONLY ONE of Rowan’s nave clerestory windows that does not have

Artist – Rowan LeCompte Fabricator – Mary Clerkin Higgins Installer – Dieter Goldkuhle

a large character to focus a story around. It is interesting that two paintings of this window exist, one with a large figure and one without. Mary Clerkin Higgins did the glass selection, the fabrication, and some of the painting on this window. In the case of the abstract central lancets, the exaggerated lead lines that Rowan frequently used as part of his designs have been painted in this heavy manner to hide the lead that encases the glass in the window. Rowan included a long column of human figures here, symbolizing the Hebrews’ persistent faith and their 40-year journey through the wilderness recounted in the Book of Exodus. In the central lancets, the procession of figures passes a mighty red pillar of fire by night and a glorious blue and yellow pillar of clouds by day. Rowan considered this depiction the best way to visually portray the abstract concept of faith and to honor the Hebrews’ belief that God should never be pictorially represented. At the top of the window in the multifoil is an outline of the U.S. White House, symbolic of the executive branch of government and the faith that America places in the leadership of its presidents. In bold letters in this window is the second portion of the sentence: “...in Order to form a more perfect Union...”

North Clerestory Windows

West

East

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St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Winston-Salem, NC – 2011

Artist – Rowan LeCompte Realized by – Mary Clerkin Higgins

296

Narcissus, Chapel

Roses and Dogwood, Chapel

Wild Cherries, Chapel

Mountain Laurel, Chapel

This window has an air of mystery about it. The deep purple

Mary has done a wonderful job of interpreting Rowan’s design,

The net effect here is a happy harmony with a vibrant border,

It looks like Mary had great fun interpreting Rowan’s design.

glass looks almost to be hiding something that can only be

while working confidently in her own style. The meticulous

segmented backgrounds of different colors, and flowers that

Her mountain laurel has some traditional blossoms, but every

glimpsed in the deep blue background. It is as if the flowers

detail in the dogwoods is exquisite and the roses are deftly

are almost dancing. There is a sketch for this window that is

now and then she slips in a few “techno” blossoms that look

have come out to play, but they have a

painted. The border’s playful array of shapes and colors creates

labeled “Wild Cherries,” but there is not a cherry to be seen

more like gears than flowers. This colorful window is clearly

place to recede to when needed.

a sparkly frame of which Rowan

anywhere in the window. Perhaps

a joyous celebration of this hardy

Many countries regard

would certainly have approved.

Rowan was referring to a wild

plant. Mountain laurel grows

daffodils as a symbol of

Roses are one of the oldest

meadow, since this window

in rocky upland soil from

hope and rebirth, as

of flowers, dating back

contains daisies, black-

Maine to Florida. Close

they are often among

35 million years, with

eyed Susans, chicory,

inspection reveals

the first flowers

bushes capable of

cosmos, dandelions,

that there is indeed

to appear after a

living for more

and other bright

a mountain in the

long winter.

than 1,000 years!

wildflowers.

background.

297

World-renowned stained-glass artist Rowan LeCompte’s distinctive technique and unique perspective transformed a medieval decorative practice into a fine art for modern times. This book traces his fascinating trajectory from a precocious teenager to a charming octogenarian with a clear vision of what stained glass can do, both within and beyond cathedral walls. More than mere biography, Rowan LeCompte: Master of Stained Glass chronicles the maturation of this artist’s extraordinary ability to translate the essence of human nature into the universal language of glass-transmitted light.

ISBN: 978-1-78884-172-6

9 781788 841726

56000 £50.00/$60.00