Life of Christ. Eglise Saint-Sulpice de Fougères (detail) 1919

This is a detail from Ludovic Alleaume's stained glass 'Life of Christ' in the Eglise Saint-Sulpice de Fougères. The way the light struggles through each pane is like a meditation on seeing, or believing. Looking closely, the making feels so present. The lines aren't trying to hide, they're right there holding the whole thing together! It's so process-oriented, and I love that. It gives the figures a vulnerability, like they're not trying to be perfect, just present. The man's beard is an area that particularly stands out. The white is almost curdled with grey, as if age is something you can feel on your fingertips, cool and rough. It suggests how time and light are always shifting, shaping, and reshaping our perceptions. Thinking about the deep colors, I wonder about the way the Pre-Raphaelites also used stained glass to capture the imagination. But really, art is just one big conversation across time. We’re always borrowing, stealing, reinterpreting. And that's what makes it so alive!