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The Cold Genius
200930 x 43 in. (76.2 x 109.2 cm)
Judith Schaechter
American
Object Type:
Glass
Medium and Support:
Stained-glass panel
Credit Line:
The Corning Museum of Glass, Gift of the Ennion Society
Accession Number:
EX2020.DG1.4
Schaechter came across a YouTube video of Klaus Nomi performing the aria “The Cold Song” from Henry Purcell’s opera King Arthur. This video captures the last performance of a singer, known for his incredible voice and otherworldly stage presence, before dying of AIDS in 1983. As the character Cold Genius in the opera, Nomi sings:
What power art thou, who from below
Hast made me rise unwillingly and slow
From beds of everlasting snow
See’st thou not (how stiff) and wondrous old
Far unfit to bear the bitter cold,
I (can scarcely move or draw my breath)
Let me, let me freeze again to death.
Schaechter was so moved by Nomi’s story and interpretation that she was inspired to make this work. Her insistence upon resolving this panel to her satisfaction led her to remake it four times.
What power art thou, who from below
Hast made me rise unwillingly and slow
From beds of everlasting snow
See’st thou not (how stiff) and wondrous old
Far unfit to bear the bitter cold,
I (can scarcely move or draw my breath)
Let me, let me freeze again to death.
Schaechter was so moved by Nomi’s story and interpretation that she was inspired to make this work. Her insistence upon resolving this panel to her satisfaction led her to remake it four times.
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Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
- The Path to Paradise: Judith Schaechter’s Stained-Glass Art 2/15/2020 - 5/23/2021
Portfolio List
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