Giovanni Hajnal

and the Expressive Force of Color

Stained-glass windows V41 and V44 by Autori variVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

Hungarian artist

Janos–Giovanni Hajnal was born in Budapest in 1913. A top-level artist in the field of international glasswork art, he moved to Italy in 1948.

In the 1950s, Hajnal was asked to complete three artistic stained-glass windows intended for the second level of the counterfaçade of the Cathedral.

The iconography chosen by the institution responsible for the conservation and development of the Cathedral, known as the Veneranda Fabbrica, was that of representing three themes: the Church, the Trinity, and the Synagogue. Suggestions which Hajnal interpreted creating luminous, brightly-colored works of art.

The Church is depicted as a woman bearing the Cross, side by side with the symbols of the four Evangelists.

Further up, the ideogram of Christ stands out, together with other related symbols: the dove, the rabbit, the pomegranate, and the screw.

The Trinity (1955) by Giovanni HajnalVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

The central window represents the Trinity and emerges from the marble gray like a colorful palette, characterized by great chromatism.

Purple and yellow dominate the scene: vivid pieces recount the three individuals forming the Trinity.

The Eternal Father is in the center, his son Jesus Christ on the left, with the crown of thorns, and the Holy Spirit bearing a dove.

The Synagogue (1955) by Giovanni HajnalVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

The third upper ogival window depicts the Synagogue.

The Synagogue is represented with the features of a blindfolded woman, since in iconographic tradition, it was not able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. At her sides are Cain and Abel.

Detail from the counter-façade of the DuomoVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

Central nave and counter-façadeVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

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