1 comments about Miss Ann's Art.

1. "Mis Ann's Art" is an impressive compilation of paintings, stories and poems by Ann Barnes created over many years and reflecting aviation history, Christian inspiration, and family activities. The artworks are museum quality. The stories are heartfelt and engaging. The poetry is superbly crafted. The combinations laid out in the pages of "Miss Ann's Art" are thoughtful and thought-provoking, inspirational and inspiring, engaging and entertaining, and taken all together, an enduring memorial to a life carefully observed, thoughtfully reflected, expertly referenced, well observed, and fully lived. "Miss Ann's Art" is very highly recommended reading and an especially appropriate choice for community library Memorial Fund acquisitions.

1 comments about Simple and Bold: Ephrem's Art of Symbolic Thought (Gorgias Dissertations, 26).

1. I have just read this book as part of a graduate course on St. Ephrem's poetry (in Syriac). Den Biesen offers a very insightful study of Ephrem's symbolism, particularly the extensive use he makes of polarity and paradox. The polarity between "word" and "silence" comes in for particularly rigorous, and to my mind, satisfying analysis.
   
   If you are a student of Ephrem's poetry, this book offers penetrating and thought-provoking discussion of some of the vast, multifaceted talent Ephrem used in the course of producing his extensive corpus of poetry. However, if you are very new to the field, I recommend starting out with a more easily digestable work such as Sebastian Brock's "The Luminous Eye." Den Biesen's work is not aimed at beginners.
   
   I should note that, unfortunately, the publisher did not edit this book well, and consequently there are a number of grammatical errors and stylistic rough spots. However, the content is still readable.

No comments about The Life of Christ in Woodcuts.

5 comments about Green Man: The Archetype of Our Oneness With the Earth.

1. I just reviewed another book on the subject of the Green Man --one I do NOT recommend. In that review, I said, if you want real substance and genuine scholarship instead of wishful thinking and superficial conjecture, then go directly to this book by William Anderson. The research is thorough, and it is both deeply thought-out and deeply felt. A jewel of a book!



2. Beautifully illustrated compilation of research and mythology pertaining to Europe's ubiquitous Green Man image. Though no one knows for certain what, if anything, he signifies, the theories are numerous and fascinating. Once you know where to look, you'll find that this intriguing face is carved in all sorts of places, all over Europe, in wood and stone. He pops up just about everywhere there's medieval art - churches, cathedrals, palaces, public buildings. The varieties are endless, although all Green Men must have foliage incorporated in their visage. This little book is part of my permanent collection.



3. Very detailed book founded on a lot of excellent research. I didn't expect so much information in such a small book but it's really packed (the type is small too). I was looking for a book that was pretty complete and this certainly gave me what I needed. It has color and black and white photographs of architecture and sculpture showing green man images through history which really puts this into context and brings it alive. Through the text, the author gives explanation as to why Green Man shows up in the sculptures, stories that would have surrounded the building/design of the structures containing the green man images, poetry, and history of the times.



4. I particularly enjoyed GREEN MAN because the author William Anderson brings together and explores many subjects of interest to me -- the natural world, mythology and archtypes, Gothic church architecture, Wordsworth, and the concept of Gaia. GREEN MAN has been described by it's critics as a book about Mythology and Ecology, but I think Anderson has also written a very fine art history.

   Anderson suggests most art historians and critics have overlooked the Green Man as an archetypal element and artifact. And, although I've taken several art history classes on the topic of Western church architecture, I can't recall a single instructor discussing the foliate masks, vine disgorging heads, or human fruiting vegetation Anderson clearly describes. The photographs in his book show they can be found in many places in churches including on rood screens, columns, capitals, corbels, tympani, stringcourses, pediments, flying buttressses, with the Holy Virgin and child, and weeping over Christ.

   Anderson suggests the Green Man (or our need for him) has morphed into variation after variation over the millenia. The Green Man probably began life as a Celtic mythical figure, but by the 20th Century he had become a hidden Art Deco element. His most amazing incarnation occurred in the Middle Ages in the Gothic cathedrals, especially very sacred spots like Chartres in France. Chartres was one of Joseph Campbell's favorite haunts, and he has shared many of his insights about the cathedral, as has the art historian Panofsky. Anderson shares a few more ideas involving the Green Man.

   If you plan to visit churches or cathedrals in Britain, Ireland, or Europe, I think you'll find this book a good resource. You can also learn more about the Green Man and his link to the Earth Mother and the natural order.




5. I discovered this book in a small bookstore several years ago, and have thoroughly enjoyed reading it several times. Having ten years of training in art and art history, many books on art frustrate me, because many people don't know how to write about it. I found Anderson's book an absolute delight. He cites his sources, and it was always clear (to me, at least) when he was speculating, and when he was using references to support his statements. Discussing art and art history can all too often lead to muddy logic and subjectivity, which means that good art historians must meet a very high standard of proof. Anderson satisfied me on that count. Mind you, this is largely a work undertaken for his own curiousity and pleasure, so perhaps I wasn't as rigourous as I might have been with a work that claimed to be authoritative. But I know trash when I read it, and this is emphatically not trash. He's done his homework, and he knows his stuff. He states his case very well.

   My own research into the Green Man and into the interface between Christianity and paganism in the Dark Ages and Middle Ages have led me to disagree with Anderson on a few points. But that doesn't diminish for me the pleasure of reading his book again.

   I also enjoyed the many photographs. There's nothing worse than a book about art that doesn't illustrate the points made! And this book satisfied me there. I've used the illustrations as inspiration for my own artwork many times.

   I count this as one of my favourite books of all time.

2 comments about Summit Of Treasures: Buddhist Cave Of Dazu, China.

1. Although the best-known cave-temples in China are located at Longmen and along the Silk Road (Dunhuang, etc.), the impressive cave reliefs in Sichuan are less visited and have been comparatively neglected. The beauty of the Song-dynasty sculptures at Dazu is matched equally by their interest as a fascinating amalgam of many different strands of Buddhist belief: Esoteric, Pure Land, Chan (Zen), and more.
   
   Angela Falco Howard's book, with its excellent color photographs and thoughtful text, gives us Dazu in all its beauty, together with her own significant contributions to the scholarship about the site. Tourists and casual visitors will appreciate her clear identification and explanation of every major and minor personage and scene on the reliefs; students and scholars will spend many happy hours delving into the bibliography, notes, and intricacies of her interpretations.
   
   The major criticism I have of this book, is that it presupposes that the reader already understands some quite obscure details of medieval Buddhist philosophy and sects (Huayan/Kegon, etc.) It's all very well to inform us that "the Bodhisattva to the right of Vairocana is Samantabhadra," but if you don't know who Samantabhadra is, you'll probably still be left scratching your head. A glossary is not provided, but would certainly have been welcome.
   
   Readers who are not very familiar with Mahayana Buddhist deities may want to read an intro like "Buddhism," by Louis Frederic, before tackling Howard's book. Regardless, "Summit of Treasures" belongs in the backpack of anybody visiting Dazu, and in the library of any enthusiast of Chinese cave-temple art.
   
   Postscript: I think it is appropriate here to add a plug for the publisher, Weatherhill, who with this book has produced, once again, a great book about Asian art. I'm not affiliated with them at all, but over the years I can't help but noticing how many of their volumes are finding their way into my library. Weatherhill seems to combine the best authors with superb editing (it is almost impossible to find a typo in their books) and to-die-for production, with durable books and copious full-color photography. I'm almost to the point where I'll buy anything with the Weatherhill Mark on it, and I can't really say that about any other publisher, except maybe for Yale. This paragraph is my thank-you to them, for the quality of their books and for all the knowledge and enjoyment that they give us - scholars, tourists, and everybody in-between.



2. Dazu is a really great place. It is as stunning as Yungang caves in Shanxi and much more impressive than the famous Mogao caves in the Gansu province. And this makes probably just about every book on the place worthwhile. BUT half of the photographs in this book are so bad it is unbelievable. True, those caves tend to be dark and there is little room for you to step back when taking a picture etc... but one would assume that somebody who wants to publish a book about the place could do better than take average tourist-quality (and sometimes worse) pictures. Unfortunately, this seems to be the only book on the topic out there. So there is really no choice for you if you are interested in Dazu. The accompanying text is very detailed and seems very good but, let's face it, most of us don't get books of this type primarily because of the text - it is the photographs that really matter. In sum, think twice before you get this book.

No comments about Votive Tablets in Thailand: Origin, Styles, and Uses (Images of Asia).

No comments about Chinese Buddhist Bronzes.

1 comments about God's Art.

1. God's Art is a stunning photographic tour of the beauty of the universe, from breathtaking sunsets, waves and coastal dunes to the magnificence of stars and galaxies. The stunning, full-color photography on every page is complemented by the thoughtful text, which reflects upon God and the marvelous wonder of His natural creations. A blend of perfectly captured scenic brilliance and spiritual contemplation, God's Art is truly a treasury for photography and spirituality shelves alike.

2 comments about Picturing the Passion in Late Medieval Italy: Narrative Painting, Franciscan Ideologies, and the Levant.

1. Dr. Derbes has a rare gift of insight into this troubled time period, and her flowing, warm writing style makes the images and ideas equally accessible to her readers. A wonderful book for anyone interested in Medieval times or iconography.



2. reading this book was wonderful, but taking the italian renaissance class with our dear professor, Anne, was even better!!

No comments about The Sabbath of History.