King Cormac of Cashel as Bishop, Warrior and Scribe. St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin (detail) 1906

Sarah Purser’s stained glass window in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin depicts King Cormac as bishop, warrior, and scribe. Imagine the process of cutting each tiny shard, fitting them together, shifting them this way and that. I empathize with Purser here. It can be a real headache to capture a likeness, especially in glass. What was she thinking as she fit each piece to create the King's face? Was she trying to capture his humanity, or convey his divine right to rule? Look at the way the light shines through the purple of his cloak—that communicates power. And the rigid stance, hand on his sword—that communicates strength. It’s like she’s saying power comes in many forms, and Cormac embodied them all. It reminds me of other artists like Malevich, who distilled form down to its bare essence, because Purser’s doing something similar here. Artists are in constant dialogue, aren’t they? Reaching back, borrowing, responding. Each gesture with the material becomes part of this long conversation. Painting and stained glass is like that; an embodied expression of uncertainty and ambiguity, leaving space for many meanings.