1 comments about Art and Ritual in Golden-Age Spain.

1. The cover image (La Virgen de la Soledad) and the Macarena Madonna inside alone are worth the price of the book, but it's a fascinating account of a vibrant "performance art" (street processions). See also The Madonnas of Europe and, for another kind of devotional outreach, Gardens of Revelation.

No comments about Puppet Scripts by the Situation.

2 comments about Tibetan Thangka Painting: Methods & Materials.

1. This book is a must have for anyone interested in ancient Tibetan art and culture. It penetrates deep in to the tradition and lore involved in the creation of Thangkas.
   It's even great on a technical level, giving us grids and proportion when painting Buddhas. The authors even explains how to create the pigments with authentic materials; as well as telling us where in the world to find them.

   Indispensible resource.




2. This book assumes an interest in Thangka paintings. The book then proceeds to elaborate, step by step and in great detail, the process of creating one of these art works from the grinding of the color pigments to the finishing details with a brocade frame. If you are interested in this art form you couldn't ask for a better guide. Well written and thoroughly complete, it also includes drawings of any and every detail found in these paintings. If you are interested in creating a Thangka painting of your own this is the book for you.

No comments about Bible Flowers.

No comments about Simple Little Pleasures (Kinkade, Thomas, Simpler Times Collection.).

No comments about Dramas with a Message, vol. 1: 21 Reproducible Dramas for the Local Church.

1 comments about Islamic Ornament.

1. As one of the only books on amazon that addresses this topic, I had hoped it would be both more informative and contain better visual illustrations of Islamic ornament, but unfortunately it has neither. The descriptions and background of the patterning and ornament are mostly rudimentary, and the illustrations decisively lacking. One could learn more visually from the Dover reproductions of public domain ornament.
   As for content and meaning, I'm still trying to find more information (especially on the seemingly ubiquitous star patternings).

2 comments about Imagine Wisdom (Buddhist Tradition).

1. Kinnard undertakes here the highly problematic issue of vision and cognition in early Indian Buddhist Art and examines the different strategies deployed by Indian Buddhist artists to make the Buddha present through visual paradigms. Particular attention is accorded to the rare references to the making of anthropomorphic images of the Buddha in early (i.e. Theravada) and later (i.e. Mahayana) texts. Kinnard also considers the importance placed by the literature in question on the physical presence of the Buddha and the strategies implemented when that tangible presence is no longer available. Turning thereafter to the concept of "buddhanusmriti" (recollecting the Buddha), Kinnard points to the cognitive or imaginative act of "making present" the Buddha in the mind, and asserts that these various layers are contingent components for representation in the larger context of Buddhist art. An extremely insightful and incisive contribution.



2. Kinnard's scholarship is matched only by his charisma in this magnificent work.

1 comments about Temples of the Ancient World: Ritual and Symbolism.

1. This is not an archaeological tour of ancient temple ruins. The title might mislead those who do not know what the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) is. Rather, this book is a collection of twenty-four fine essays on various aspects of the temple. It is particularly focused on the ancient world and how aspects of their temple worship resonate with what has been restored in our present-day worship in the House of the Lord. There are eight parts with two to four essays in each. They are:
   
   1) Reflections on the Modern Temple
   2) The Temple in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East
   3) Temple, Covenant, Law, and Kingship
   4) The Temple in the Book of Mormon and Ancient America
   5) The Temple according to Jadaism
   6) The Temple in the New Testament
   7) The Real and the Symbolic
   8) The Temple and Sacred Vestments
   
   According to the introduction, the majority of these essays are original to this volume and about half of them were given at a FARMS conference in 1993. Not only are there three essays by Hugh Nibley, there are some ground breaking topics such as Donald Parry's notion of Sacred and Profane space that has been discussed more frequently in recent years. All of the essays are solid and interesting. There are also a number of insightful illustrations that amplify the points the text is trying to make.
   
   Yes, this is a big book. However, you don't need to try and eat it all in one sitting. Since it is a series of discrete essays, you can read them at your leisure and take your time thinking through what the author is saying. I think you will come away with new insights and a deeper commitment to the work of the Lord in the temple.

No comments about The Warrior Saints in Byzantine Art and Tradition.