St. George, Michael, Anne and Mary Magdalene 1910

Editor: So, this gorgeous stained-glass artwork is "St. George, Michael, Anne, and Mary Magdalene" by J\u00f3zef Mehoffer, created around 1910. The color palette strikes me first – so jewel-toned! It feels both reverent and fantastical at the same time. What strikes you when you look at this, in the historical context of its creation and display? Curator: Well, its placement within Fribourg Cathedral whispers volumes. Imagine light streaming through it! I’m really captivated by the anachronistic collision here. We have Medieval subject matter – saints, dragons – rendered with the swirling lines and flattened perspective we often associate with Art Nouveau. It’s as if Mehoffer were summoning the past while simultaneously catapulting it into the present, early 20th century. It almost looks medieval without trying too hard, the opposite of revivalist movements; isn’t that interesting? Editor: It *is*! So it’s less about recreating the past and more about… channeling it? Like a medium? Curator: Precisely! Look at the faces of the saints. Are they not infused with a peculiar sense of dreaminess? Mehoffer invites us not to passively observe a religious narrative, but to dive deep into our own symbolic interpretations of these timeless tales of faith and bravery. Is it working on you in any way, any particular figures, features? Editor: Definitely Mary Magdalene and her roses in the stained glass. It seems… unusually human for stained glass; if that makes any sense. Curator: Human indeed! And that's the genius of it. It’s more than just storytelling. It's about opening a dialogue, across centuries, using symbolism as our common tongue. Editor: Wow. I came in expecting some historical context, but I am leaving thinking about stained glass in a whole new, more creative and engaging, way!