Glass Stained, But Not Broken; An illustrated Connection

I have always found stained glass to be beautiful. Most of the stained glass that I have seen has been in churches.  I have found myself in places such as antique stores where there are often stained glass windows aligned along a wall. A lot of them with the window frame and mostly geometrically shaped images. While perusing my Facebook news feed I found this artist. His work is really beautifully done, especially the black and white drawings. It may be a far reach, but I also noticed some similarities between his work and Erte's work.  Their time periods overlap and perhaps Erte was influenced a bit by Clarke. While there is no evidence of that, after looking at both their work, I found they favored each other. Erte was more about fashion design and he created pieces that were fluid, graceful, dramatic and worn by the stars of his day. But the similarity is in the design of the images, especially the black and white illustrations. The way the women are posed, the detail and intricate design of their clothing. Their contemplative stare, forward or to the side, the boldness in the curves, lines, and details within the entire image.  Clarke's images are more brash, dramatic, stylized character illustrations created for Edgar Allen Poe and others. while Erte is more graceful, theatrical, fluid and bright. Look and compare some of their images, decide for yourself. We can agree to disagree.

Harry Clarke (1889 to 1931) was undoubtedly Ireland’s greatest stained glass artist. Internationally the name of Harry Clarke is synonymous with quality craftsmanship and imaginative genius in his stained glass work. His use of deep rich colors, his delicate depiction of beautiful elongated figures with their finely carved features and deep expressive eyes, is indeed magical to behold. During his short life Harry created over 160 stained glass windows for religious and commercial commissions throughout Ireland and England, and as far as the USA and Australia. Also an illustrator of books for Harrap and Co. in London, Harry illustrated books that show his undoubted genius in the area of graphic art.

Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen his first printed work, however, in 1916—a title that included 16 colour plates and more than 24 monotone illustrations. This was closely followed by  illustrations for an edition of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination: the first version of that title was restricted to monotone illustrations, while a second iteration with 8 color plates and more than 24 monotone images was published in 1923.

The latter of these made his reputation as a book illustrator (this was during the golden age of gift-book illustration in the first quarter of the twentieth century: Clarke's work can be compared to that of Aubrey Beardsley, Kay Nielsen, and Edmund Dulac). It was followed by editions of The Years at the Spring, containing 12 color plates and more than 14 monotone images; (Lettice D'O. Walters, ed., 1920), Charles Perrault's Fairy Tales of Perrault, and Goethe's Faust, containing 8 color plates and more than 70 monotone and duotone images (New York: Hartsdale House,1925). The last of these is perhaps his most famous work, and prefigures the disturbing imagery of 1960's psychedelia.

Stained glass is central to Clarke's career. His glass is distinguished by the finesse of its drawing, unusual in the medium, his use of rich colours (inspired by an early visit to see the stained glass of the Cathedral of Chartres, he was especially fond of deep blues), and an innovative integration of the window leading as part of the overall design (his use of heavy lines in his black and white book illustrations is probably derived from his glass techniques).

Clarke's stained glass work includes many religious windows but also much secular stained glass. Highlights of the former include the windows of the Honan Chapel in University College Cork, of the latter, a window illustrating John Keats' The Eve of St. Agnes (now in the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery in Dublin) and the Geneva Window. Perhaps his most seen work was the windows of Bewley's Café on Dublin's Grafton Street.

Clarke's work was influenced by both the passing Art Nouveau and coming Art Deco movements. His stained glass was particularly informed by the French Symbolist movement. 

Romain de Tirtoff (23 November 1892 – 21 April 1990) was a Russian-born French artist and designer known by the pseudonym Erté, the French pronunciation of his initials, R.T. He was a diversely talented 20th-century artist and designer who flourished in an array of fields, including fashion, jewelry, graphic arts, costume and set design for film, theater, and opera, and interior décor. 

Erté is perhaps most famous for his elegant fashion designs which capture the art deco period in which he worked. One of his earliest successes was designing apparel for the French dancer Gaby Deslys who died in 1920. His delicate figures and sophisticated, glamorous designs are instantly recognizable, and his ideas and art still influence fashion into the 21st century.

 His costumes, program designs, and sets were featured in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1923, many productions of the Folies Bergère, and George White's Scandals. On Broadway, the celebrated French chanteuse Irène Bordoni wore Erté's designs.

I think both of these artists are fabulous and are true genius' of their time. While the fashions of Erte's day may be long gone, his influence is still seen on Broadway. 

Now that I've either caused an up roar and I'm totally left field, or maybe I'm on to something.  It's a just something that caught my eye. Maybe I'm intrigued by all the detail and how beautifully the lines flow and curve. I'm a sucker for a nice curve! - Still regardless to which way you lean on this, you have to admit that they are both pretty amazing artist.

Found something new to add to my Steampunk Romantic interests. Dark Beauty Magazine's Steampunk Issue. One can only guess the wonders inside this magazine. I got a sneak peak of the fist couple of pages, but of course, we must support our romantic interests and pay to further dive into this seemingly wonderful issue. Perhaps I will, it may be worth it. Need a steampunk romance booster. Check it out at www.darkbeautymag.com.

Thanks for reading. See you next time at the.....

Same blog time, Same blog channel!

Don't blink - Weeping Angels on board

Cincinnati Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum

Statues of angels are usually found in cemeteries, an eerily quiet place often peaceful and beautiful to look at, even those that are centuries old, overgrown and run down, with big head stones and mausoleums. Angels are watchers and protectors but there are also other types of  Angels. Angel of Grief is an 1894 sculpture by William Wetmore Story which serves as the grave stone of the artist and his wife at the Protestant Cemetery, Rome.  The term is now used to describe multiple grave stones throughout the world erected in the style of the Story stone.  Angels are mysterious, beautiful and intriguing, I have created my own series of angels out of stone, none are grieving, but maybe they should, they would at least be more expressive.  But that's another story for another time.

William Wetmore Story, Angel of Grief

But what if Angels were beings that are of unknown origins; we assume all angels were created by the hand of God and given a purpose to serve. It could be argued that they are beings of unknown origins, depending on your religious views. This isn't about religion, not totally! - okay some aspects of this post has a religious base to it, but what doesn't!?  For the past few days, I have been watching Doctor Who and there was an episode called  "Blink," which is about weeping angels and come to find out there are other episodes that deal with them.  Being intrigued about angels, I began to research Weeping Angels. No, they are not just statues that are alive and move in Blink, but actual statues that can be found in cemeteries, arboretums or cathedrals. Which is a creepy thought all by itself, and if they moved, it would be terrifying and cool. There are also the Nephilim (my favorite), who are the offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of man.  Some say they are giants, monsters, or aliens, and still exist. Would have been great topic to explore on X Files. (Remember that show!) Now let's see what The Doctors Weeping Angels are about....

The Weeping Angels are an ancient race of aliens from the Doctor Who television series. Steven Moffat, their creator, attributes their appeal to childhood games such as Grandmother's Footsteps and the notion that every statue is secretly a Weeping Angel.

Their usual mode of feeding is to send their victims back in time, which creates time energy to feed on. When they are not being observed by another being, they can move very quickly and silently, but when they are being observed, they become "quantum-locked", occupying a single position in space and becoming stone. In this state, they are frozen and difficult to destroy. They cannot suppress this reaction. If two Weeping Angels were to look at each other at the same time, they would be trapped in stone form until an outside force moves them apart. To prevent this, they often cover their eyes while moving - this makes them look as though they are weeping.

According to the Doctor, the Weeping Angels "are as old as the universe (or very nearly), but no one really knows where they come from." He describes them as the loneliest beings in the universe, since their quantum-lock reaction makes it difficult for them to socialize; he also describes them as "the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life-form evolution has ever produced." That said, in all their TV appearances, the Angels could communicate with each other and work in groups. The quantum-lock is apparently an evolutionary, instinctive, uncontrollable reaction to being seen. However if the Angels are scared themselves, this reaction can be exploited to make them believe they are being watched when they are not. Though they themselves cannot speak, they can communicate through the voice of a person they kill by removing their brains and reanimating their minds. They are also very physically strong, capable of snapping necks, though physically killing a victim is rare for them unless the need arises (such as stealing someones voice). Not so alluring now are they?
But wait!  there's more....

The Weeping Angels possess several notable abilities. In "The Time of Angels" it is suggested that when Angels need bodies for communication they snap their victim's neck and rearrange the brains for their purposes. The Angels speak in their victim's voice, as "Angel Bob", a fallen soldier of the Church, becomes the "voice" of the Angels and explains the Angels' motives and thoughts to the Doctor. As they close on more aware victims, their features transform from calm angels with normal proportions to more horrific, bestial demons with wide open mouths baring vampiric teeth and clawed hands. Their paramount ability is their speed, as they are able to close distances of meters literally in the blink of an eye, allowing them to reach a victim or move to an unseen or darkened area before their quantum-lock freezes them again.

With a touch, a Weeping Angel can send a person into the past, to before his/her own birth. The Angels feed off the "potential energy" of the years their victims would have lived in the present. The Doctor describes them as "the only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely" because their victims are otherwise uninjured and may live out their lifespans in the past. They can drain other forms of energy, such as that from electric lights, as seen in the Season 3 episode "Blink", or other electronics. Without power, the Angels start to decay, turn to stone without being watched, and corrode as a statue does; their speed is also extremely hindered if Angels reach starvation, as seen in The Time of Angels, lessened from meters to a partial step in a blink. This can be undone by providing the Angels with energy, but it is implied they can no longer acquire energy themselves in this state. In "Blink," the Angels stole the Doctor's TARDIS after trapping him in the past. The engine of the vehicle contained enough energy to feed them for a lifetime.

They have also exhibited the power to project themselves through images. In "The Time of Angels", an Angel trapped in the vault of the Byzantium is able to control a video screen that was playing video footage of it. It overrode the screen controls and could control nearby electronic equipment as well. The Angel is able to take over the screen and come through it in an attempt to kill Amy because "that which holds the image of an angel becomes itself an angel", from a warning in an ancient book on the Angels, found by River Song. Also in the novel "Touched by an Angel", a starving angel no longer has a physical being, and instead exists in the image viewed by cameras. As such whatever is the sight of the camera is in range of the angel. The angel retains fast movement, but at the cost of range. Normally as in The Time of Angels the image would walk right out of the screen, when it is starving it cannot do so. To stop movement, simply viewing the screen is enough to lock the angel. Do you really want to be touched by these angels? Let's reach out and touch Faith....

“When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.


Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them.
They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” - Genesis 6: 1 – 4

I don’t know about you, but the mysterious Nephilim fascinate me.  I mean, why wouldn’t they?  These mysterious “sons of God” (sometimes called “Sons of Heaven”) coming down to marry the “daughters of man.”  Kind of romantic, don’t you think?

But who were the Nephilim? Well, if you listen to most modern day churches, the Nephilim were “fallen angels” sent to earth for being naughty.  I’m not sure how sending them to earth was going to solve anything.  All it did was make them naughtier.  I mean, they were all having sex (GASP!).  With daughters of man (GASP!), and having babies and stuff. SHOCKING! Pretty indicative of the Puritanical foundations of my fair country and it’s churches, if you ask me.  Having sex equaled BAD.  Therefore God had to go and smash everything like a child having a temper tantrum.

Maybe some will call that sacrilegious, but it makes no sense to me.  What does make a little more sense are passages in the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilee.  European churches tossed these books out ages ago as being of “questionable origin.”  (Uhm, excuse me, aren’t ALL the books of the Bible of rather questionable origin?  That’s unless you’re a several thousand year-old creature who was THERE when they were being written. No?)

In any case, according to these books, the Nephilim weren’t necessarily fallen angels, but rather “Watchers.”  Those charged with keeping an eye on humanity.  Some think they were already here on Earth when they first cast eyes on beautiful human women, while others believe that they chose to leave heaven and go against the dictates of GOD in order to be with these beautiful women (Not a lot of women in heaven, apparently).  Whichever way you want to go, the end result was that the Nephilim (Watchers) ended up having sex with human females and having giant children who were insanely greedy and violent, not to mention cannibals.

Even worse, the Nephilim taught humans the arts of sorcery and war.  Niiiiice.  Of course, they also taught useful things like astronomy and the movements of the moon and tides.  Good stuff.  So, I guess you could say there were good Nephilim and bad Nephilim.  But eventually the humans called out to God (though in some instances it’s claimed the good angels called God’s attention to the FUBAR) and God saved humanity by, uh, killing them,  with a flood.  A flood which killed off everyone but Noah and his family (because he was a good man and didn't go around fornicating w/others), but unfortunately left some of the Nephilim still alive.

Yeah, that worked out well.  Because we’re so peaceful and stuff now, right.

But this is not the end of the theories on the Nephilim.  According to the Ancient Astronaut theory, the Nephilim were actually not angels at all, but alien beings.  Only instead of having sex, they were running some kind of hybrid breeding program.  The giants (and other weird creatures of mythology) were early experiments gone badly awry.

You can see how our ancient ancestors would mistake aliens for gods or angles.  I mean, they had SPACESHIPS, for crying out loud.  They were powerful in ways that couldn’t be explained with the knowledge of the time and so it was considered “magic” instead of the advanced technology and science it really was.  Therefore, perfectly ordinary beings became gods.

So, what is the truth? Were Nephilim bad angels sent to earth as punishment?  Were they Watchers who fell in love and chose to leave?  Or were they beings from another world?  Are they ”Sons of Heaven” in the literal sense? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as theories and opinions go. Either way, it’s an interesting little side-note in the annals of our history.  One I wish they’d spent a little more time on. Can you imagine the stories a writer could get out of that tiny little bit of information?  A forbidden romance between an angel and a human;  A bloodthirsty conflict between two warring angel races with humans caught in the middle;  Aliens visiting earth for mysterious purposes.

Did we touch Faith, or were we touched by Angels or aliens? You decide, my plan is not to Blink, don't look away, don't turn your back.  Did they move? 

Thanks for reading my blog, hope is was at least entertaining. Feedback appreciated.

See you next time,

Same blog time, same blog channel. 

Blink!