Skylight panel from a set of six 1913

This stained glass skylight panel is by William Gray Purcell and it sits in the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Imagine Purcell piecing together this geometric grid, pressing the glass into place. I bet the light coming through this was amazing, the colours shifting with the sun. There’s something so optimistic about it, like he’s trying to capture the light itself. It makes me think of Mondrian, but with a softer touch. I imagine him in his studio, with all these little pieces of colored glass scattered around, arranging and rearranging them until they clicked. It’s like he’s building a little world, a little slice of heaven. I wonder if he knew how much joy this would bring to people. I see so much care in it and it is so lovely. That’s the thing about art, it’s an ongoing conversation. We build on each other’s ideas, remixing and reimagining. Purcell’s skylight is more than just decoration; it’s a little piece of his soul, shining down on us.