5 comments about Salve Regina: The Story of Mary.

1. Salve Regina is quite simply a most beautiful tribute to Mary, the Mother of God. The pictures are extraordinary and the text brings to life the sublimity of Mary. As the subject matter for the many artists represented in this stunning collection, Mary's presence seems to lift our human art form to a heavenly height. The book becomes a prayer as page by page we are presented with the humanity, the holiness, the purity and radiance of this woman, our Mother Mary, brought to life throught the creative genius and inspirations of the artist's work. It is a treasure.



2. The pictures of the life of The Blessed Virgin Mary in art were beautiful. I learned more about her life. This was for a friend and the Amazon price was the best I found.



3. Wonderful book. Full of wonderful pictures ( color ) It could be used for prayers or just great reading and looking. It one of my favorite books. Duquesne, please more!!!!



4. This is a book that I will treasure for many years. It is such excellent quality and beauty, as well as being very informative and inspirational. I couldn't be more pleased with an order. Samantha



5. Duquesne's collection of world-renowned masterpieces depicting the life stages of the Blessed Virgin Mary and accompanied by his well-crafted essay is a delight to the eye as well as the theological mind. He begins with the story of her parents, Sts. Joachim and Anne, and chronicles Mary's life through her death, Assumption into heaven, and, finally, her magesterial role in Christianity.
   
   The paintings by famed painters such as Caravaggio, Raphael, and Michelangelo, are neatly paired with works of lesser-known artists, such as Pierre Prud'hon, Simone Martini, and Jan Provost (at least, the latter three were unknown to me until I beheld this tome). Duquesne's script is theologically sound and full of interesting Marian facts, delivered in a reverential but not pietistic tone. I enjoyed this book tremendously.

2 comments about Symbols of the Christian Faith.

1. This book is excellent in explaining Christian Symbols and provides Scripture support for the information. It has very good, crisp, detailed drawings of each symbol.



2. This book covers many of the major Christian symbols and has a short discription of each one that is typically concise and sometimes only a few sentences long. The pictures of each symbol are all black and white but usually pretty large with only one example of each. I think this book is worth it for the number of symbols it covers. It also has decent references if you are interested in more information.

2 comments about Old Testament Figures in Art (Guide to Imagery).

1. Organized into several chapters, the Creation through the Tower of Babel, Abraham, David and Solomon, and others. Each biblical topic is put into context with the Place, Time, Figures, Soursces, and Artistic variants provided. Then for each topic, several representative works of art are shown with explanatory captions. Nice representation of several schools of art, from gothic figures of the late Middle Ages to a heavy emphasis on Italian Renaissance, Northern Renaissance artists, 17th century Dutch masters and a small number of later artworks. Will mostly devoted to paintings, alternate art forms such as engravings, mosaics, sculptures and bronzes are examined.
   Small format makes it a easily portable text.



2. I have used this book in Bible studies. I like it because it is organized chronologically, making things easy to find. It also gives brief histories of the story and the artist's work and explains some of the symbolism. This book contains work from all time periods, so it would be good to use for comparison/contrast of styles.

No comments about Bible Illustrations CD-ROM and Book.

No comments about The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan.

1 comments about Angelic Mistakes: The Art of Thomas Merton.

1. Angelic Mistakes: The Art Of Thomas Merton by Roger Lipsey is a descriptive collection and history of works of art created by the mind and hand of Catholic theologian and hermit-monk Thomas Merton during the last decade of his life and which until now has remained largely unknown to the general public. Providing readers with a compendium of Merton's work with each piece being accompanied by an extensive caption, Angelic Mistakes is a "must" for anyone who has read and appreciated Merton's writings, as well as a choice selection as a church, seminary, and academic library "Memorial Fund" acquisition.

2 comments about Sufi: Expressions of the Mystic Quest (Art and Imagination).

1. Bismillah! Even after years of reading Sufi material, this book retains a special place in my memory for the beautiful introduction it provided to the Way of Return. This book is esentially the most inspired best coffee-table book I've ever come across, combining luxuriously illustrated design with lucid essays on the sacred quest, the relationship of shaykh and disciple, and various doctrines such as expansion and contraction in creation and consciousness. All of this places the Sufi way firmly in the unveiling of the last Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the world of Islam. Culturally, this book favors the Iranian (and therefore Turkish and central Asian as well) tradition and neglects aspects of the Arab and Indian Sufi expressions.



2. This book is a wonderful introduction to Sufism, the mystical tradition of Islam. The first part of the book is a lucid essay about the origins and basic outlook of the Sufis; Bakhtiar contrasts Creation ("the arc of descent") with the mystical quest ("the arc of the ascent"). The second part of the book is an exquisitely beautiful collection of photographs and reproductions of traditional Sufi illuminated manuscripts; the colors are strikingly clear. The third part of the book highlights particular themes in Sufism, including the Sufi understanding of geometry, architecture, music, poetry, and dreams. This book is a must for anyone who intuitively understands the connection between spirituality and the visual arts.

1 comments about Icons: Divine Beauty.

1. Here is a wonderful book -- well writen, informative, and a thing of visual beauty.
   
   The dust jacket alone is amazing.
   
   Clearly a work of love by someone who knows his stuff. (His other books are also excellent, although somewhat hard to find.)
   
   Better yet, he informs and explains very clearly. A rare gift.
   
   A great gift it makes as well.

2 comments about It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God.

1. It Was Good is a collection of twenty-one artists and their very insightful essays on art. The book isn't just a "write what you want about art" sort of book. It covers various subjects in an orderly fashion. Some of the topics are: Beauty, Substance, Presence, Mission, Community, Essence, Identity. Every chapter is very well written, well laid out and inspiring.
   
   Color plates of some of the art help to crystalize the comments of the artist.
   
   This book gives real meaning and purpose for the artist today. The book clarifies what it is to live life giving glory to God through art, not because it is "Christian" art or art that preaches but rather because you serve the triune God your art can have meaning and depth. Makoto Fujimoro states, "Such a Christocentric perspective on the arts can also release our creativity from being enslaved to a particular form, or style of art." And that is just one fully laden sentence in a book of 355 pages!
   
   This book will make you want to get out your pencils, paints, paper and brushes and start expressing yourself through art again.



2. "It Was Good-Making Art to the Glory of God" brings forth many struggling topics and themes that Christian artists are challenged with. These essays are writing by some of the most important Christian artists today (i.e. Makoto Fujimura, Theodore Prescott, and Edward Knippers.) The book discusses issues looking at our fallen world with a realistic point of view. It teaches to face evil head on and to point towards the grace, the hope, and the glory, namely Jesus Christ. As God's children it explains our need for art in the church and in our communities. It also depicts the problems of Christian art, with topics such as GOOD, ("The efforts of most artists who attempt to present a picture of `good' tend toward dishonest, sugary sweet propaganda. They ignore the implications of the fall and paint the world as a shiny, happy place." -Ned Bustard, "Good"), EVIL, and IDENTITY. It is hard being both Christian and artist. It seems no one understands you in the art world and no one understands you in the Christian world. This book praises our gifts of creativity and imaginations, in which we learn to integrate both our faith and art, and return these gifts to praise Our Father. "It Was Good..." should be essential to your book collection. I once had a discussion with a friend of how we can meditate on a single passage for hours. These essays have been so inspirational that I have spent some nights restless, because I could not wait until the next day to work on my own art. It is such a blessing to know, in this generation (so full of narcissistic and meaningless art,) that this book is out there to help other Christian artists. I personally feel doubly blessed because I am still an undergraduate in art school. I feel a great comfort to apply and develop these ideas into my own critiques. But this book goes way beyond the ordinary art school critique and grows toward my relationship with God and towards his people.

No comments about Arnhold Collection of Meissen Porcelain, The: 1710-1750.