Let God Color The Glass!
When Frank Lloyd Wright was asked why he had chosen plain white over amber-tinted glass for the interior of Beth Sholom Synagogue, he answered:
“Since this is to be God’s Temple, I prefer to have him color the glass.”
This quote always makes me laugh because it’s such a great answer…and true. I was fortunate and unfortunate to have this quote play out when I was photographing the spaces.
Fortunate because it was awesome to sit and experience both color and light shoot around the space as the sun was in and out of the fast moving clouds. UNfortunate because with the sun in and out so quickly, so was the color and brightness and with some of my longer exposures and bracketing. I would have different colors AND light levels within a single exposure.
All in all, I think this is one of the finest examples in Wright’s portfolio of his “bringing the outside in” philosophy.
Insider tip: Go see the SACRED SPACES photography exhibit while you are there. More info on the exhibit and/or Shop SACRED SPACES prints.
Beth Sholom Synagogue, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania [1954]. Photographed June 2019.
Q: Have you seen this play out? (If you’ve not yet visited Beth Sholom Synagogue, Book a tour and experience it for yourself!)