Smithsonian American Art Museum
...and there was light: Studies by Abraham Rattner for the stained-glass window, Chicago Loop Synagogue
January 23, 1976 – March 28, 1976
Trace the development of the monumental 30-foot-high, 40-foot-wide window for the sanctuary of the synagogue through 52 works—ranging from preliminary sketches to large-scale, full-color studies. Taking his theme from Genesis—"And God said: 'Let there be light' and there was light."—Rattner developed a complex and beautiful series of symbols. He spent three years studying the Old Testament, Jewish symbolism and theosophy; designing the window; selecting each of the hundreds of pieces of glass and personally supervising the window's construction in Paris.
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