St. Martin-in-the-Fields - London's latest masterpiece

Source

The Guardian: A new window on St Martin's past




St. Martin-in-the-Fields, homepage

I was very disappointed that it was under construction in March.
Just when I came to London (maybe for the last time for a while) to take some 'personal' pictures.
St. Martin's is one of my favourites...
And I love the market!

A strange (to me) and wonderful window. Love it.

I haven´t been to the sight but from the photos this seventies era minamal art pop/art solution to the commision proposal makes a strange bedfellow with it´s surroundings. It´s as though the Iranian artist himself had only seen photos of the sight and didn´t pay much attention to them.

It most certainly is a beautiful church but I'm underwhelemed by the window.

And I don't really get the why of "gynecological reworking of Christian symbols" out of it either. I get that it is vaguely vaginal and vaguely cross like but overall I think the window is kind of ho-hum. Maybe it's one of those things you have to experience though.

Maybe not so much "vaginal" as egg-shaped, which is symbolic of birth or rebirth.

I didn't even get the crucifix until somebody referred to it, but now I have a deeper understanding and like the window. It gets past the literal death and resurrection of Christ and becomes more abstract, mythological, and metaphorical.

It is a wonderful window.
I saw the crucifix right away and for me the oval in the middle is a face without an facial expression. As we do not know what Jesus looked like I find that very symbolic. Also we do not grasp how he suffered on the cross so a face without expression during the suffering somehow brings out the suffering even more.
thanks for showing the pictures. Next time in London I´ll take a closer look at it.

There is no historical evidence that he existed.

I did not want to discuss if he existed or not.

People have had-still have a picture of how Jesus looked when he lived /if he lived /in case he was the son of God/ in case he was a profet/in case he was just a strong personality

I think he "phoned the design in". I'd liked to have seen some context with the windows surrounding. Its the saME as if someone HAD put aN ACOUSTIC TILE drop ceiling into an Art Deco atrium.

I'm glad that it's stylistically not too 'attached' to the old building.

I'm a fan of evidence that a building is still living and developing as part of the community it's in.

I will admit that I've gone back and forth on the window. My first thought was 'what the hell'. The view from a distance got me past appalled. If I saw it all the time I might get quickly annoyed. But right now I like it.

Though it reminds me of one of the many renditions of The Scream.

It also reminds me of the sixties, when Sister Carita took hold and a lot of religious art got, uh, freer. (free-er?). And that was about when I last paid any attention.

Re the building, the window doesn't reflect the period, but I'm not soooo sure it doesn't work with the building.

not evryone like same stuff. Me like context,Beth like metamorphosis.
I call it "remuddling". Like someone sticking shutters on a picture window. It just doesnt work for me. ALthough, separated from the church and in a scuplture garden, Ithink that the window pattern with Chilhouly cast tone glass, would be a dynomite piece.

(and I'm reluctant re Chihuly, apparently one of the few who feel that way...)

Of course we have no idea what Jesus looked like, and I think it's unimportant to Christianity whether or not he did exist. The literalists and fundamentalists would suffer severe anxieties if it were proved that he had never lived, but they would get over it eventually--as the Catholic Church got over geocentrism--and Christianity would have to come to terms with its narrow-minded supernatural interpretation. The supernatural interpretation of Christianity only cheapened the religion as it pandered to the masses.