No comments about One of the Richest Gifts: An Introductory Study of the Arts from a Christian World View.

No comments about Eureka! Archimedes And The Genesis Code: The Man Davinci Called The Wizard.

2 comments about Sengai: The Zen of Ink and Paper.

1. This is an informal and accessible guide to Master Sengai's work, a man who in his study of Zen stumbled rather appropriately into the ink drawing art of sumi-e as a means of revealing for himself and others the essence of wisdom. It has been said that the secret of the Tao is so simple that if it were to suddenly become common knowledge, laughter would be heard everywhere. Looking at Sengai's art is to experience that truth and I recommend this as an antidote to the stifling austerity to which religious traditions are so often view as being caught up.



2. For the people interested in Zen this book is an excellent way to learn about one of the most influential monks in Zen history. Sengai was not only a monk, but a great artist whose art was expressed through his drawings. And this book written by D.T. Suzuki, author of numerous books about Zen, is focused mainly in explaining the meaning behind some of the Senagi's drawings. A negative aspect about this book is that the quality of the ilustration's prints is almost like the one of a newspaper. I tought I would find the same quality as the drawing from the cover but it was a big disappointment. Still, through the bad prints, we can appreciate the sublime art of Sengai.

5 comments about Painting Religion in Public: John Singer Sargent's Triumph of Religion at the Boston Public Library..

1. This book is absolutely brilliant. A previous reviewer expressed their disappointment with the lack of images. I would first like to point out that a lack of images is no reason to give the book only one star, especially considering that they were able to recognize the fact that Promey is the first to write a book on what the reviewer conceded is "a basically unpublished subject." As for the reviewer's claim that this book is only suitable for the Art Historian, I would just like to say that I read this book when I was 13, and still managed to find it thoroughly interesting and engaging. Perhaps the reviewer's need for more pretty pictures than the author (wisely) chose to include is an indicator of a lack of education and imagination on their part rather than a lack of judgment on hers.



2. Although lacking in adequate color plates as expressed by a previous reviewer, this text is wonderful in its description of the history of the mural which took Sargent 30 years and was never completed probably because of the controversy arising out of how religion was viewed in public in 1919, a change from when Sargent started it in 1890. The book describes the history of the mural in the context of its time of diverse social, cultural and religious matters. After viewing the actual mural at the Boston Public Library, where it is, unfortunately, covered with dirt but is being restored and cleaned, one will be overwhelmed with this painting and find the book extremely interesting and full of important historical information, as well as understand why this mural is considered one of the most important pieces of public art.



3. Promey leads the reader on an insightful exploration of Sargent's artistic and spiritual investment in _Triumph of Religion_. This book has changed the way I look at religious art in public places.



4. A fascinating book -- a major contribution to the history of American visual culture! This is a Sargent I hadn't seen before! The wealth of visual material in Promey's book (works of art, preparatory sketches and studies, photographs, prints, cartoons) provides testimony that Sargent's art was deeply informed by the culture of its time. It was also, as Promey shows, responsive to the artist's own intellectual and personal commitments. Highly recommended!



5. This is a convincing, original, and highly readable book. I've seen Sargent's Boston Public Library murals--now obscured by dirt and grime--many times. It was a real treat to see them in Promey's book, restored to their initial splendor. (I look forward to their scheduled restoration too.) I read this book because the Boston Globe art critic called it a "dazzling must-read." And she was right!

No comments about Painting the Soul: Icons, Death Masks and Shrouds (Reaktion Books - Essays in Art and Culture).

1 comments about Sphaerae Mundi: Early Globes at the Stewart Museum, Montreal.

1. From the Renaissance era down to the mid-19th century, terrestrial and celestial globes were not only instruments of science and education, but works of art and highly prized craftsmanship. In Sphaere Mundi: Early Globes At The Stewart Museum, Montreal, Edward Dahl and Jean-Francois Gauvin successfully collaborate to provide the reader with a history of the Dutch, English, French, Italian, German, and Swedish globes, drawing upon the holdings of the Stewart Museum in Montreal, Canada beginning with their earliest globe, circa 1533. The superbly written, thoroughly informative, totally engaging text is wonderfully enhanced for the reader's pleasure with 120 full color illustrations and charts the developments and changes in more than 300 years of globe making. Sphaere Mundi is "must" reading for students of cartography and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the history of science.

3 comments about Buddha in the Landscape: A Sacred Expression of Thailand.

1. One of my friends who used to own a book store supplied me with a copy of this beautiful "coffee table book" when it first came out in 1998. The photography is well done and gives a unique perspective of the enormous Buddha statues that one happens to find at various locations around Thailand. Before moving to Thailand I stored some items at my mothers house and this is one of the very few books that I kept. Simply a beautiful book to have if you can find a copy.



2. Being a photographer myself, I can only say that this is an excellent book with great photography and good background information on Thailand, Buddha Statues and Buddhism in general. I pull out this book over and over again just to look at it's photographs. They are almost meditation!



3. The photography was at best "mediocre" and presented nothing that could not be seen in other books on Thailand. The text lacked both depth and understanding of the subject and was stilted.

No comments about Great Painters and Their Famous Bible Pictures.

No comments about Religious Art in France: The Late Middle Ages : A Study of Medieval Iconography and Its Sources (Bollingen Series).

No comments about Because of Love: My Life & Art With Meher Baba.