The visual arts, a privileged means of communicating Christian belief for more than a thousand years, were marginalized if not rejected by 16th-century reformers. This volume, containing papers read in a five-part conference held in France, Italy, and the US in 2017, brings together Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican theologians, art historians and artists in an unprecedented ecumenical conversation indispensable for future dialogue. With its broad range of confessional and methodological viewpoints, it offers an 'agora' experience of faith-based reactions to human creativity and com... View More...
This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. While there has been a growing interest in the use of grotesque imagery in art and literature, very little attention has been given to the religious and theological significance of such imagery. This fascinating book redresses that neglect by exploring the religious meaning of the grotesque and its importance as a subject for theological inquiry. The discussion begins with the debate over both the definition of the grotesque and theoretical approaches to understanding its meaning and importance for the late twentieth century. W... View More...
James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was a central figure in the artistic life of mid-19th-century Paris and London. His distinct aesthetic--appreciating a work of art as an arrangement of colors, lines, and shapes, was a precursor for the abstract art of the 20th century. This retrospective brings together Whistler's letters, interviews, and other writings--many previously unpublished. In letters to other artists, family, and patrons, Whistler discusses his principles of composition, his use of the terms "Nocturne" and "Symphony," the rights of dealers and owners, and his celebrated libel suit ... View More...
Contemporary art is obsessed with the politics of identity. Visit any contemporary gallery, museum or theatre, and chances are the art on offer will be principally concerned with race, gender, sexuality, power and privilege.The quest for truth, freedom and the sacred has been thrust aside to make room for identity politics. Mystery, individuality and beauty are out; radical feminism, racial grievance and queer theory are in. The result is a drearily predictable culture and the narrowing of the space for creative self-expression and honest criticism, the things that draw most people to art in t... View More...
"One of the most important books on color ever written."--Michael Hession, Gizmodo "Interaction of Color with its illuminating visual exercises and mind-bending optical illusions, remains an indispensable blueprint to the art of seeing. . . . An essential piece of visual literacy."--Maria Popova, Brain Pickings Josef Albers's classic Interaction of Color is a masterwork in art education. Conceived as a handbook and teaching aid for artists, instructors, and students, this influential book presents Albers's singular explanation of complex color theory principles. Originally published by Yale ... View More...
Christianity Today's 2017 Book of the Year Award of Merit - Culture and the ArtsFor many Christians, engaging with modern art raises several questions: Is the Christian faith at odds with modern art? Does modernism contain religious themes? What is the place of Christian artists in the landscape of modern art? Nearly fifty years ago, Dutch art historian and theologian Hans Rookmaaker offered his answers to these questions when he published his groundbreaking work, Modern Art and the Death of a Culture, which was characterized by both misgivings and hopefulness. While appreciating Rookmaaker's ... View More...
From church-sponsored arts festivals to religious protests outside museums, religion and art often interact as dynamic forces in American life. Now, following up on a fascinating series of dialogues among artists, religious leaders, journalists, and scholars, an interdisciplinary group of distinguished thinkers investigates this complex relationship, looking for common ground and opportunities for cooperation between the arts and religion in America.Crossroads goes beyond media hype to explain both the historical roots and current realities of the ways people understand art and religion in the... View More...
This abundantly illustrated, full-color volume provides an overview of the topic of music, musical instruments, and musical performance throughout the centuries, as depicted in Western works of art ranging from ancient sculpture to Renaissance paintings to modern art. It serves as a handy guide for anyone desiring a comprehensive, yet succinct, answer--a first source for the academic scholar, university student, or educated layperson. It features sections devoted to individual instruments and sections focused on more general concepts, such as musical symbols and allegories and the instruments ... View More...
Yet few of us can effectively explain why certain movies, books, plays, and songs resonate so profoundly within us, and more importantly how they attest to God's character.
Professor Jerram Barrs gives us the three key elements for evaluating great art. He then puts those qualifiers to the test by investigating five of the world's most influential authors--empowering us to better understand the character of God and helping others to know him too.
First United Methodist Church in Augusta, Georgia, gives concerts to raise money for local service organizations. Trinity Lutheran Church in Mission, Kansas, has been sponsoring a religious art show for more than twenty-five years. Fellowship Lutheran Church runs a Christian arts camp for young people every summer. These are just three of the eighteen case studies of practicing arts ministries in this book, in which Michael Bauer encourages the nurture and support of all the creative gifts of God's people. Bauer lays a solid foundation for arts ministry, grounding it in the historic Christian ... View More...
'Also subtitled, ''An Artist's Survival Guide,'' this book functions as a deeply encouraging book to any of you who may be struggling with, laboring through, or truly living in artmaking. As well, it is an exceptional read for those of you who have friends who are artists, or who receive joy through great music, painting, sculpture and writing. Through direct examination and honest reflection, the authors explore the struggle through which art is created day by day -- or is not created -- and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way. Other dimensions o... View More...
The new resource is designed to help spiritual directors and others use expressive arts in the context of spiritual direction. It is the latest book in the unique SDI series, designed for professional spiritual directors, but also useful for clergy, therapists, and Christian formation specialists.
The Spiritual Directors International Series - This book is part of a special series produced by Morehouse Publishing in cooperation with Spiritual Directors International (SDI), a global network of some 6,000 spiritual directors and members. View More...
How can the arts witness to the transcendence of the Christian God?
Many people believe that there is something transcendent about the arts, that they can awaken a profound sense of awe, wonder, and mystery, of something "beyond" this world--even for those who may have no use for conventional forms of Christianity. In this book Jeremy Begbie--a leading voice on theology and the arts--employs a biblical, Trinitarian imagination to show how Christian involvement in the arts can be shaped by the distinctive vision of God's transcendence opened up in and through Jesus Christ.
"Yes, but is it art?" This lucid book by Julian Bell, himself a painter, confronts the uncertainty many people feel about art today and challenges generally accepted ideas.Now in a completely revised second edition, What is Painting? is a fresh, focused look at painting. Bell addresses questions such as "does anything unite those objects we call paintings?" and "what factors have changed the nature of painting over the last two centuries?" by looking at historical evidence and reasoning from common experience. The current shape of painting pushes the book's arguments in new directions and a su... View More...
John Berger's seminal text on how to look at art John Berger's Ways of Seeing is one of the most stimulating and the most influential books on art in any language. First published in 1972, it was based on the BBC television series about which the Sunday Times critic commented: This is an eye-opener in more ways than one: by concentrating on how we look at paintings . . . he will almost certainly change the way you look at pictures. By now he has.The influence of the series and the book . . . was enormous . . . It opened up for general attention to areas of cultural study that are now commonpla... View More...
This abundantly illustrated volume offers an exploration of the depictions of illness and healing in Western artworks that range from Egyptian wall carvings to medieval manuscripts, and from paintings and sculpture by the great masters of the Renaissance such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci to twentieth-century artists such as Matisse and Magritte. Thematic chapters cover the examination of patients and their various maladies including disabilities and mental illnesses; healing and medical treatments; and the sufferings of patients and their hopes for cures and recovery. Psychological an... View More...
The contributors to this 1992 book examine various aspects of the relationship among Christianity and the visual arts, architecture and music in Russia. Within this broad area the book concentrates on specific topics rather than attempting a broad survey. Nonetheless, the range of material extends from the earliest stages of the introduction of Byzantine art forms in Kievan Russia to the relation between Christian and folk decorative/iconographic motifs to the use of religious imagery in the work of contemporary filmmaker Andrei Tarkovskii. The related interests of the contributors create a co... View More...
