St. Chapelle24 x 30
Oil on Canvas
Oil on Canvas
St. Chapelle, is an older work but it symbolizes much of what I believe regarding creating art and my view of the world. First a little background about cathedral St. Chapelle.
St. Chapelle was built between 1241-1248 on Isle St. Louis in the heart of Paris, France. It was built by Louis IX (St. Louis) to house Christ's Crown of Thorns. The interior was painted crimson, ultramarine and gold. The windows fill the space between very tall and slender gothic arched columns. Today St. Chapelle is on the grounds of police headquarters and heavily guarded. The juxtaposition of a sacred place surrounded by armed police is startling.
The interior space is utterly spectacular. Breathtaking is absolutely accurate. You enter the sanctuary from below by way of a narrow spiral staircase. When you enter the sanctuary you are embraced by awesome beauty. You often hear others gasp as they enter taken by the glorious volume of the space and crystalline sparks of white, red and blue light that pour through those spectacular windows washing every surface and filling the air.
So why a guy on a ladder screwing in a light bulb?
The first thing that struck me was that this young man continues a traditional chore that has been going on in that church for nearly 700 years - the rickety old ladder he climbed looked nearly as old as St. Chapelle itself. I also have a strong affinity for physical work that appears humble but has great value. His simple act is filled with deep symbolic meaning me - bringing light into the world especially in a place so filled with spiritual history. Lastly, from my angle, those amazing windows look as though they reach to Heaven. Perhaps they do.
St. Chapelle was built between 1241-1248 on Isle St. Louis in the heart of Paris, France. It was built by Louis IX (St. Louis) to house Christ's Crown of Thorns. The interior was painted crimson, ultramarine and gold. The windows fill the space between very tall and slender gothic arched columns. Today St. Chapelle is on the grounds of police headquarters and heavily guarded. The juxtaposition of a sacred place surrounded by armed police is startling.
The interior space is utterly spectacular. Breathtaking is absolutely accurate. You enter the sanctuary from below by way of a narrow spiral staircase. When you enter the sanctuary you are embraced by awesome beauty. You often hear others gasp as they enter taken by the glorious volume of the space and crystalline sparks of white, red and blue light that pour through those spectacular windows washing every surface and filling the air.
So why a guy on a ladder screwing in a light bulb?
The first thing that struck me was that this young man continues a traditional chore that has been going on in that church for nearly 700 years - the rickety old ladder he climbed looked nearly as old as St. Chapelle itself. I also have a strong affinity for physical work that appears humble but has great value. His simple act is filled with deep symbolic meaning me - bringing light into the world especially in a place so filled with spiritual history. Lastly, from my angle, those amazing windows look as though they reach to Heaven. Perhaps they do.
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