Spring 1870 - 1885

Editor: So, this is "Spring," a stained glass piece created between 1870 and 1885 by Daniel Cottier. The setting appears to be a pastoral fantasy, a stained glass artwork, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, very intriguing. What do you make of this window? Curator: The choice of glass itself speaks volumes. Cottier was working within a burgeoning aesthetic movement where materials were celebrated for their inherent qualities, not just as vehicles for representation. What do you notice about the way the glass is used? Is it just color, or something more? Editor: It's not just color. The glass seems textured, almost like fabric. And the leading emphasizes the construction. Curator: Exactly! The leading isn’t hidden, but rather integrated into the design, almost celebrating the labor involved in its creation. This was a direct challenge to academic painting, where brushstrokes, labor and construction would often be concealed. Think about the social context, too: The rise of industrial production versus the Arts and Crafts movement’s desire for handcrafted goods. What does this piece say about that tension? Editor: That's interesting! The work romanticizes labor? I hadn’t considered that. It seems to embrace both the beauty of nature with the materials on display, a glass that almost seems 'designed' to embrace imperfection in an otherwise seemingly well crafted display of technique. Curator: Precisely! And that contrast is key. Cottier elevates what might be considered a craft material—stained glass—to the level of high art. What does it mean to depict Spring using a medium usually reserved for churches or domestic decoration? Editor: Wow, I guess I hadn't considered the implications of craft in fine art at that moment in time, thank you for your insights, this has been helpful. Curator: Indeed. Thinking about materiality transforms how we understand artistic hierarchies and the value of labor.