Light Show Wrightís Decorative Glass Adds Insight Into Architectural Vision by Natalie Koss A 70-year career spent developing a new form of architecture is impressive. But American architectural icon Frank Lloyd Wright also spent his years redefining decorative glass windows in some of Americaís most well-known homes and buildings. Designing thousands of leaded glass windows, Wright combined Western and Asian influences into distinct geometric patterns. The windows are a hallmark of his craftsman architecture. A ground-breaking new exhibit at the Renwick Gallery titled ìLight Screens: The Leaded Glass of Frank Lloyd Wrightî displays 48 of his stained glass windows, two architectural models and 13 original plates from two of the architectís portfolios. This is the first exhibition devoted to Wrightís exploration of light and color in patterned windows, and of the windows being featured, nearly half have been drawn from private collections throughout North America, many being shown to the public for the first time. ìThis exhibition considers Wrightís unique conception of the role of ornamental glass,î said Kenneth Trapp, curator in charge of the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. ìëLight Screensí investigates his radical reinterpretation of the window in Americaís arts and craft movement at the turn of the century, the countryís growing internationalism, and new methods of glass production and building construction.î From 1885 to 1923, decorative glass windows were an integral part of Wrightís architecture, as seen in the more than 4,500 windows he designed, 100 of which were completed. ìLight Screensî examines the evolution of Wrightís designs and his methods for creating window spaces that brought the outside world inside, uniting landscape with a roomís interior. The first section of the chronological exhibition presents the influences on Wrightís earliest leaded glass designs, which varied tremendously and included writings by Victor Hugo, Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, John Ruskin and William Morris, as well as decorative patterns created by his mentor, Louis H. Sullivan. Japanese art and architecture also figured into Wrightís many inspirations. For instance, he referred to his windows as ìlight screens,î a term that evoked Japanese shoji screens, which were arranged in bands similar to Wrightís windows. During the second phase of his window design career, Wright entered a prolific period that led to the design of prairie-style houses and his invention of a rectilinear design vocabulary. Wright is most renowned for his straight lines and clear glass enhanced by warm, earthy colors and sharp geometric forms. One striking example of his skill included in ìLight Screensî is a green-and-gold windowpane from one of Wrightís most famous commissions, the Susan Lawrence Dana House in Springfield, Ill. After fleeing to Europe with his mistress, Wright made a dramatic change in his approach to the window art form that would set the stage for some of his most challenging and exciting glass design to date. Among the works in this final phase of Wrightís window design career are four windows created for the Avery Coonley house in Chicago. Considered to be the most innovative of Wrightís windows designs, the Coonley windows include abstract and syncopated shapes of balloons, American flags and confetti executed in vibrant reds, blues, greens and blues. Wright personally designed each window to complement whatever structure he was creating at the time. This method followed his belief that an architect should consider all elements of a design, including the interior and exterior qualities, furniture and landscape. ìThe leaded glass screens were part of an integrated design scheme,î curator Trapp noted. ìThey were designed in conjunction with the building.î These windows were designed to come alive as the outside surroundings changed, with the leaded glass acting as a mediating force between the exterior and interior so the natural changes in the environment would subtly alter the mood of the interior design. ìLight Screens: The Leaded Glass of Frank Lloyd Wrightî runs through July 20 at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street, NW. For more information, please call (202) 357-2700 or visit www.americanart.si.edu. Natalie Koss is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.