Melancholia

In 1961, Narcissus Quagliata (b. 1942) left his native Rome and traveled to San Francisco to study painting. Inspired by the atmosphere, colors, and light of California, he gradually abandoned his canvases in favor of glass. During the early 1970s, Bay Area artists were manipulating stained glass in innovative and experimental ways. Quagliata’s bold, figural style translated well into stained glass, as did his interest in the natural world. His work was widely recognized by the early 1980s, and he played an influential role in defining new directions for two-dimensional art using stained glass. In this panel, a man wearing sunglasses and 1970s-style clothing is sitting in an airplane. The image evokes memories of leaving loved ones or loved places - memories that are shared by the artist and the viewer. The representation of contemporary subjects, rather than decorative patterns or historical or ecclesiastical themes, is one of the features that distinguish studio flat glass from traditional stained glass.