English painter David Hockney, most recently known as a prolific portraitist in addition to his use of an iPad as high art medium, recently completed a window for Westminster Abbey. Unveiled on September 26, 2018, the window was also designed using an iPad. Helen Whittacker at Barley Studio brought Hockney’s vision to life using traditional methods to translate Hockney’s playful, celebratory imagery. Commissioned in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, the window depicts hawthorne blooms representative of her love for nature as well as, in Hockney’s words, “champagne poured over everything.” Most exciting is what this window represents in terms of the nexus between modern art, technology, and devotional windows: there remains a long and diversified future for stained glass in this world!
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