John La Farge

Biography

John La Farge, whose creative vision shaped the aesthetics of the Gilded Age, brought an artist's soul to architecture, stained glass and design. His pioneering use of opalescent glass and his fascination with light and color allowed him to craft luminous, lyrical windows and murals that adorned churches, private homes and public buildings.

Beyond his celebrated panels, La Farge wrote extensively on art theory and shared his passion for beauty with a generation of designers, ensuring that his experiments lived on in the language of American decoration. He is remembered at Green-Wood Cemetery as a figure whose artistry and advocacy for the applied arts enriched the nation.