Light of the World

1963 – St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Washington, DC

At one time, Rowan and Irene were typecast as “modern artists,” only doing abstract work. This was not entirely true, because they had a wide range of expression. However, they certainly did their share of abstract art, and this is one of two windows in St. Luke’s that falls into that domain. The glass in this window is extremely thick, perhaps an inch or more, and this thickness subdues the amount of light that is let into the church. There is no painting on the glass except for some very thick lead lines, which help to create a chunky sort of texture to the window. Viewed from within the church, the orange central lancet glows between the darker outside lancets, helping to create a moody atmosphere inside the church.

Iconography

In the left lancet we see shafts of wheat under a hot sun, which certainly evoke the bread in the Eucharist as well as Jesus being the “Light of the World.” John’s gospel quotes Jesus telling his followers, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). In the center lancet there is a candelabra (also evoking Jesus as the Light) above what looks like stone tablets, representing the Ten Commandments, or The Law of Moses. The right lancet is a bit less defined, but it appears to show some twining grapes, symbolizing the wine of the Eucharist.