Chigot Window
Le jardin sous la pluie (Garden in the Rain),, stained glass, about 1928.
Francis Chigot (French, 1879–1960), Purchased with funds given
by Ann W. Hartmann and Frank Snug in memory of Peggy M. Snug
and James C. Hartmann, [2006.43].
About the Artwork
This work of art is a stained glass window made by a French artist named Francis Chigot
(Shee-GO). Its French title, Le jardin sous la pluie
pluie, means “Garden in the Rain.”This
This work
of art was inspired by piano music created by Claude Debussy (deb-you-SEE), an
important piano player and composer of the time.. After looking at this work of art,
what do you imagine the music would sound like? Even though the title of the work of
art is Garden in the Rain,, do you see any hint that the rain would soon be ending?
What is Glass?
Glass is the oldest man-made
made material. Most glass is a mixture of silica (from sand or
sandstone), an alkali to lower the melting point, and lime to act as a stabilizer. The
mixture, when melted, fuses together. It can be poured or blown into a shape and
allowed to cool slowly. The glass is then rigid without crystallizing.
Stained glass has been popular since medieval ttimes. Artists make flat glass by dipping a
blowpipe into molten glass and blowing through the pipe to create a bubble. The artist
then cuts open the side of the bubble to gently open the glass and lay it flat while it is
still hot and pliable. Using a drawing
wing called a cartoon as a guide; different colors of flat
glass are cut into pieces like a puzzle and soldered together using strips of lead to create
the finished picture.
Elements of Art and Principles of Design
Describe
ribe the artist’s use of color. Did Chigot choose primary or secondary colors? Are
the colors warm or cool? How does the artist’s choice of color add to the success of the
work of art?
Describe the artist’s use of line. What different types of lines do you see? How does the
artist’s use of line draw your eye across the work of art?
The title of the work of art is Le jardin sous la pluie (Garden in the Rain)
Rain). How
ow does the
artist use the elements of art to successfully create an image of a garden and rain?
Related Art Experience
Stained glass was often used to tell a story
story.. What is the story being told in this work of art? If
you were the artist, how would you have told this story differently?
Using the elements of art and principles of design create a work of art that tells a story.
New Vocabulary
Stained glass - glass that has been colored, enameled, painted, or stained, especially by having
pigments baked onto its surface or by having various metallic oxides fused into it.
it Stained glass
can be found as windows and as decorative lamp shades. Where have you seen stained glass?
glass
National Standards for Visual Arts
Grade 5 – 8 Content Standard 2a
Grade 5– 8 Content Standard 2b
Grade 5– 8 Content Standard 2c
Grade 5– 8 Content Standard 3a
Grade 5 – 8 Content Standard 3b
Grade 5– 8 Content Standard 5