Contemporary Issues of Stained Glass Following on the heels of
William Morris and Burne-Jones (stained glass traditionalists)
was the development of Art Nouveau, inspired by the world of
nature and curvilinear forms. The stained glass evolving from
this movement was first exhibited in Paris in 1896 (Brown 149).
A key architect of in this time was Charles Rennie Mackintosh
(1868-1928). He used glass panels with sinuous, geometric motifs
in architectural settings such as the Willow Tea Rooms in
Glasgows Sauchiehall Street (1904). He believed in design
totality, and so designed the entire structure from building to
carpet (Brown 149-150). The popularity of stained glass in the
20th c. increased its demand in the domestic context. It was now
being used in private houses, restaurants, hotels, and as part
of interior decoration (Brown 151). The Church, however,
remained the leading patron, and the majority of commissions for
stained glass continued to be for churches (Brown 152). This
created a struggle for artists