Featured in an exhibit at the Art Institute titled “American Perspectives”, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Triptych Window from the Avery Coonley Playhouse originally linked the interior with exterior through openness and light. Now it hangs next to two pieces similar to it, in a forced imitation. Wright designed this stained glass piece for his well known Riverside, Illinois clients the Coonleys. A whimsical addition to the playhouse for the Avery Cooney School this stained glass piece features shapes that can be interpreted as confetti, balloons, and flags. Wright’s interest at this time in Japanese prints and design are revealed through this glass composition. This Japanese influenced piece mixed with Wright’s love for “festive Americana” breathes celebration and is known as a “kinder-symphony”. By including primary colors and clean lines, these windows represent a simplicity that can be interpreted as the innocence and simplicity of the children that inhabited the space. Though these windows are at the Avery Coonley’s gifted school, they are primarily part of the playhouse area, hence the whimsical and playfulness.
Wright never planned on his art glass being viewed outside of the natural architectural context for which they were designed for. He believed the glass and the architecture complimented each other, and with out one, the other could not stand on its own. Now a day, no one really believes this concept to be true. When Wright designed a house for a client, not only did they get a famous architect who buildings are now landmarks, they got numerous, sometimes hundreds of beautiful stained glass art pieces. Sadly, it is hard to see Wright’s original intent with his architectural/ glass concept since many windows have been removed and placed in museums. This individual piece, though it shouldn’t be viewed as an autonomous piece, successful conveys the feeling, the times, and space it once was a part of.
Nice job, good closer.
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