5 comments about Art for God's Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts.

1. This was a short essay on the topic, not much to it, a little bit of repeat for me from reading The Creative Call.



2. Well written support for my purpose - visual arts as expression of love of God's creation.



3. Five stars for this brief discussion of art from a Christian perspective. Ryken, minister at Tenth Presbyterian Philadelphia, interacts with the abilities of Bezalel and Oholiab, artisans of the tabernacle, to develop his topic. His discussion is very brief (less than 58 pages) but pointed. Both art and artist are viewed in relationship to God's greater person and glory. The author also deals with different kinds of art and the question of "Christian art". Writing from a reformed perspective, Ryken looks for the transformation of culture and speaks in light of the postmodern generation. The book is really too brief but will be especially good for those on the outside who desire a greater glimpse.



4. A small book on a big topic is a dangerous proposition. It may show disrespect for its subject by bragging that it can be read in a short time, such as Kant in 90 minutes. (Kant in 90 minutes is not Kant at all.) On the other hand, a short book can thoughtfully introduce a profound subject worthy of further consideration; it may be a primer. Art for God's Sake is a worthy primer; it addresses the relationship of Christian faith and art in the hope of helping Christians "recover the arts."
   
   Philip Graham Ryken, Pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and the author of several previous books, including Written in Stone (an insightful study of the Decalogue), has in sixty-four pages outlined a biblical view of art's place in God's world. Ryken is moved by the plight of the Christian artist whose calling and work is misunderstood or rejected by the church. He realizes that Christians may be suspicious of art because of their concern for idolatry and their repulsion toward much of contemporary art, which has abandoned the ideal of beauty and revels in the bizarre, the transgressive, and the outright ugly. Ryken also laments that Christians too often reduce art to utilitarian and evangelistic purposes that fail to honor art as art. Further, Christians often laud art that does not take the brokenness of life east of Eden seriously. Quite frequently, Christian art is little more than pious kitsch, which he aptly describes as "tacky artwork of poor quality that appeals to low tastes" (p. 14).
   
   Yet art should be consecrated to the glory of God, and Ryken instructs us briefly to that end. Thus he develops a sound theology of art based on the beauty of God's creation, our status as creative beings made in God's image (Genesis 1:26), and God's calling on individuals to create works of art. Ryken ruminates at some length on the significance of the calling of Bezalel and Oholiab, who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to be skilled craftsmen in the construction of God's tabernacle, his beautiful dwelling place (Exodus 31). God "called artists to make the tabernacle, and to make sure that they did it well, he equipped them with every kind of artistic talent. By doing this, God was putting the blessing of his divine approval on both the arts and the artist" (22). Moreover, these craftsmen produced "three kinds of visual art: symbolic, representative, and nonrepresentative (or abstract) art" (33), thus showing God's endorsement of these forms. These are only two of the significant insights that Ryken draws from the tabernacle.
   
   More generally, "the kind of art that glorifies God is good, true, and, finally, beautiful" (42). While truth and beauty are not identical, contra Keats' "Ode to a Grecian Urn," they belong together. Ryken notes, "The problem with some modern and postmodern art is that it seeks to offer truth at the expense of beauty. It tells the truth about ugliness and alienation, leaving out the beauty of creation and redemption" (43). On the other hand, "A good deal of so-called Christian art tends to have the opposite problem. It tries to show beauty without admitting the truth about sin, and to that extent it is false--dishonest about the tragic implications of our depravity. Think of all the bright, sentimental landscapes that portray an ideal world unaffected by the Fall..." (43). (Ryken does not name names, but he is surely thinking of Thomas Kinkade's paintings.)
   
   Ryken aptly summarizes this thesis in the concluding chapter, "Beautiful Savior." "This is the Christian view of art: the artist is called and gifted by God--who loves all kinds of art; who maintains high aesthetic standards for goodness, truth, and beauty; and whose glory is art's highest goal" (p. 53). He then concludes with a meditation on Christ's death and resurrection in light of this thesis. The ugliness of human sin required that an all-beautiful and all-glorious God send his Son to become a disfigured and mutilated sacrifice that we might be redeemed. In this sense, "the cross screams against all the sensibilities of his divine aesthetic" (55). Yet this was the only way for redemption to be won: "Sin had brought ugliness and death into the world. In order to save his lost creation, God sent his Son right into the absurdity and alienation. There Jesus took our sin himself, dying to pay the price that justice demanded. It was such an ugly death that people had to turn away" (55-56). But God transformed this ugliness into beauty through the resurrection, in which Christ is given a glorious and triumphant body. In light of these tremendous realities, "we should devote our skill to making art for the glory of God, and for the sake of his Son--our beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ" (58).



5. I am the worst artist in the world. I'm sure there are some who would contest that claim, but if you were to ask me to draw something (anything!) I think you'd quickly agree that I am about as bad as a person can get. It is strange that I am such a terribly poor artist as I come from a long line of very capable artists. Yet somehow, when the various family genes were combined to form me, all of those artistic genes fled.
   
   Not only am I the worst artist in the world, but I also have a strong dislike for most of the visual arts. For many years I thought that my dislike of these forms of art stemmed from my lack of talent in this area. But after much reflection I think there may be another source for my dislike of art. In my education I was constantly taught that art is inherently subjective--that meaning is assigned to a piece of art not by the artist but by the person gazing at it. I was taught that I was to study a work of art, allow it to speak to me, and understand the meaning of the work to be whatever came to mind at that moment. I may not have been able to express why I found this unsatisfactory, but it led me to dislike art and even to distrust it.
   
   In recent years I have been recovering from this viewpoint. Art For God's Sake by Philip Graham Ryken, pastor of historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, has helped in this recovery. It is a short book, weighing in at only 64 pages, but one that is thick with satisfying, biblical reflections on the arts. Ryken argues for the recovery of the arts among Christians. He argues also for the objective nature of the arts--an objectivity which encourages us to seek out the meaning the artist meant a work to display.
   
   The purpose of the book is twofold. Ryken wishes to "encourage Christian artists in the pursuit of their calling and to give artists and nonartists alike a short introduction to thinking Christianly about the arts" (17). The proper place to begin thinking about this topic is Scripture. We will find that Scripture affirms the value of art and artists "while at the same time protecting it from the corrupting effects of sin" (17). And so Ryken begins in an obvious place, showing that in Exodus 31 God specially called and equipped two men to build His tabernacle. The passage teaches four fundamental principles for the construction of a Christian theology of the arts: the artist's call and gift come from God; God loves all kinds of art; God maintains high standards for goodness, truth and beauty; and art is for the glory of God. The next four chapters expound upon these four principles.
   
   Here is a brief summary of these four principles:
   
   The artist is called and gifted by God--who loves all kinds of art; who maintains high aesthetic standards for goodness, truth, and beauty; and whose glory is art's highest goal. We accept these principles because they are biblical, and also because they are true to God's character. What we believe about art is based on what we believe about God. Art is what it is because God is who he is.
   
   The book concludes with a reflection on our beautiful Savior and the exceeding ugliness that was His death and crucifixion. "The center of God's masterpiece of salvation was an event of appalling ugliness and degradation" (54).
   
   And so Ryken concludes that artists should use their artistic talents to bring glory to God. And further, the church should take a leading role in encouraging this type of expression. Art For God's Sake, while a short book, was encouraging to me and I trust would be equally encouraging to those who feel the need to express themselves through their artistic talents. I hope that this book will prove to be a catalyst in sparking a recovery of the arts.

3 comments about People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture.

1. I found this to be a very valuable book. Terryl Givens taught me aspects of LDS history that I did not know or simply hadn't dawned on me. As a small example, in talking about building the Nauvoo temple, he mentions the extremely small population that took on the building of the Kirtland Temple. "Instead of the 100 or so members who populated the Ohio town when that temple was announced in 1832, Nauvoo in 1841 was the center of a burgeoning Illinois Mormon population in excess of some 12,000." - pg 109. Every time I think about such a small band of people taking on the building of the Kirtland Temple I get dizzy. And when I consider the amazing growth of the church in only a few years amid all the difficulties they also endured I am still amazed even though I have known the story since my childhood.
   
   However, this isn't another telling of the history of the church. Givens examines the culture of the church and the various strains within that culture that had their roots in the revelations received by Joseph Smith, the strains of culture brought in by the various groups of immigrant converts, the impact of the various migrations due to persecution, the temporary isolation in the West, and the growing pains of becoming a global church in modernity.
   
   This is an ambitious book that accomplishes the author's aims amazingly well. Givens admits that he has left out material on popular culture and folk expressions that deserve treatment. He also recognizes that some of the Western cultural distinctions of high culture and serious art will have less meaning to an increasing membership outside that cultural heritage.
   
   Givens presents his material in sixteen chapters divided into three parts. Part 1 establishes the "Foundations and Paradoxes in Mormon Cultural Origins". The four chapters lay out the cultural dichotomies of authority and radical freedom, the idea of searching and certainty, the very practical (banal) aspects of everyday life that are also tied up with Mormon ideas of the sacred, and the sense of being the chosen people versus the effects on our culture from persecution, migration, and isolation.
   
   Part 2 is "The Dancing Puritans" and covers the period from 1830-1890. The six chapters examine the idea among Mormons that the "Glory of God is Intelligence", along with architecture, music, dance, theater, literature, and the visual arts. The author's emphasis is how the seeming conflicts of the Part 1 play themselves out in the circumstances and means of expression by the artists during this period.
   
   Part 3 is "A Moveable Zion - Pioneer Nostalgia and Beyond the American Religion" and covers the years from 1890 to the present. Givens again takes us through the way thinkers fit into and don't fit into Church culture. He also takes us through the realities of church correlation. The topics of architecture, music, dance, theater, literature, and the visual arts are examined regarding their developments. Film is also added to the chapter of theater. Givens also talks about the implications of the majority of the church not only being outside Utah and the Western states, but also outside the United States.
   
   Since I have lived all my life in the church, but here in Michigan, I learned a great deal about the life of the Saints in the West that I did not know and it was all most interesting. However, I have also lived my life deeply involved in music (my undergraduate degree is in music theory and I have studied piano since I was a child), and I found some of Givens' analyses and conclusions a bit exasperating. Some of what he and the some of the artists in the book claim are difficulties with Church culture have more to do with the life of artist everywhere and in all places. On page 337 we read this sentence: "No wonder, as Southey noted despondently, a survey of responses to the Mormon Arts Festival revealed that `more than one-third or all patrons believed that art was basically irrelevant to the church.'' Talk about missing a glass two-thirds full!
   
   My guess is that more than a third of the population at large sees the fine arts as irrelevant to their life in any way. Having been a classical musician all my life, I can't tell you how few people care about this music as anything more than a kind of muzak. For the life of me, I can't understand people who tell me they like to listen to Mozart to relax. How can you be listening to that music with anything but amazement and excitement is beyond me.
   
   Yes, there are cultural aspects to the church that can be exasperating to any of us; even with a full, strong, and burning testimony. However, I found the emphasis on the exasperations of "intellectuals", academics, artists, and so forth to be quite provincial. A plumber or a farmer can be frustrated by aspects of the church as easily as a painter, writer, or a pianist. I grew up in a working class home and worked on an assembly line for a couple of years when I was very young and found that people from any background could find all kinds of things to get worked up over. Some of them were even legitimate and meaningful hurts rather than a frustration that the church won't re-fashion itself into what any given individual thinks it should or could be. I have seen people shaken to the core over the way sugar beets and potatoes were being farmed, commodities were being canned, the way the church facilities were being maintained, and the endless list goes on. The artist's problem is the same the problem everyone else has. The church is about active belief and engagement at that level. The rest, including being a "cultural Mormon", is pretty much incidental.
   
   Not long after I began piano lessons I became a deacon and was soon called to be the pianist for priesthood meeting. Over the decades of playing in various wards and branches around the world I have learned about people and their preference for the familiar and the way "everyone" (meaning their congregation) does things. I can't tell you how many times I have been told "we don't sing that hymn here" and I always respond, "Well, now we do". But this is a people issue, not an LDS issue. It has also happened when I have played for non-LDS congregations and even for non-religious groups.
   
   Being an artist is about making your art. You can't worry about what others think about you. You will likely have to work hard for quite awhile to bring others around to your point of view. You also can't worry about being a `great artist' because you almost certainly are not (I certainly am not). That does not mean that you shouldn't be an artist or make your art. At any level you are helping to build a base for the arts and developing the kind of environment we all need for art to flourish. If all there were in the world was, to use the clichés of this book, Beethoven and Shakespeare, there would have been no audience for them, no artisans to provide their instruments or theaters, no performers, and consequently no Beethoven of Shakespeare. If you are an artist, or lover of the arts, or even if you can only give place in heart to think about the arts, do so and we will all be more greatly blessed.
   
   Another issue is the aspect of creating art specifically for Mormons. That can be a good thing, but it can also be limiting (not because of the subject, but because of the size of the audience). We are only twelve or thirteen million people in a world of billions. My advice is to make and participate in great art and spread it to the world. Some of it can be specifically Mormon, but why not increase your chances for success by creating for a bigger audience. This doesn't mean you have to pander or turn your back on the church or its principles. It does mean you have to be strong and spend time presenting your art and your point of view rather than passively condemning the world for not recognizing your talent.
   
   I recommend this book to everyone interested in Mormon culture, whether you are a member or not. Of course you don't have to agree with the author on anything or everything to learn some new things and get a lot of food for thought. And that is all you can ask of a book. Well, that and larger print. To whomever chose the font size and type for this book: please provide darker and bigger type in the future. My eyes aren't as young as they used to be and I found the act of reading this book more of a chore than it needed to be. I also wish Givens had a website for the book that pointed us to images of the artworks, sound clips, and video so we could experience the arts more fully. The black and white images provided are very helpful, but an additional website would have been that much more helpful.
   
   With a few small quibbles aside, this is a great resource and an important contribution to any of us who care about our culture. I am grateful.
   
   Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI



2. The print is so small in this book I simply put it away without reading. Will try to locate my magnifying glass and maybe I can make some sense of it.



3. The thesis of the book is that the four primary paradoxes with which Latter-day Saints encounter the world have influenced the cultural and artistic history of the religion. I found it interesting from the historical aspect but purchased the book mainly to understand the paradoxes that Givens describes. (Don't worry - they are not deal breakers!) This book should be in the collection of everyone who has an interest in the development of art and culture in Mormonism.

1 comments about Picturing the Bible: The Earliest Christian Art (Kimbell Art Museum).

1. This book is essentially the catalog for the world-class exhibition held from Dec. 2007-March 2008 at Ft. Worth's Kimbell Art Museum. Curated by Jeffrey Spier, the exhibtion titled "Picturing the Bible" brought to this country 100 treasures, many of which had never left their countries before. For those who couldn't see this once-in-a-lifetime collection, the catalog presents pictures with articles of all the exhibits. More than that, however, well-known art historians, classicists and archaeologists provide major articles on the Jewish art of late antiquity, on pre- and post-Constantinian Christian art, as well as on book illustrations of late antiquity. The volume is beautifully done and provides a fine addition to the library of anyone interested in Christianity and Christian art in late antiquity. Personally, I appreciated Dr. Spier's vision for assembling this collection and editing this volume. It is rare to have an opportunity to experience these works in a U.S. museum.

5 comments about How to Read a Church: A Guide to Symbols and Images in Churches and Cathedrals.

1. Well written and organized. I learned a lot. Potential buyers should know that the focus of this book is on Anglican and Catholic churches. I'd recommend it very highly.



2. Bought this to prepare for a trip to Italy, hoping to better understand what I was seeing in all those historic churches. This book, however, is centered on churches as places of Christian worship. To quote from the introduction: "Admiring a church for its beauty or history alone is like admiring a Monet for the frame". This is the author's principle theme. As an example, one chapter is devoted to the life of Jesus. In it, he elaborates on 29 different stages of Christ's life that you might see as an image in a church, from the Nativity to The Incredulity of Thomas. Other chapters include The Virgin Mary, Saints, and The Old Testament. The book does provide the needed visual clues to understand what one is seeing, e.g. pictures of St. Lawrence are of a young man with an iron grid and a money bag. However, the piety of the author is the both the book's strength and weakness. Those of the Christian faith may find this a wonderful read. Those of other faiths or none at all may be constantly irritated (as I was) by his writing technique, which treats the Bible as a source of eye-witness history. If you are looking for dispassionate discussion of church imagery, look elsewhere.



3. This book would be a useful guide for the American churchgoer who is curious about the signs and symbols he sees around him. In an encyclopedia-like format, Taylor describes the chi-rho, the attributes of the more popular saints, and similar visual messages of Christianity.
   
   It is not in-depth or particularly scholarly. For example, the entry for the columbine (flower, not high school) gives one meaning for that flower's symbolism, but does not go into older meanings that appear in medieval art. OK for most uses, but not as a reference for art history students.
   
   There are also odd mistakes that an editor should have prevented. For example, throughout the book Taylor uses the word "unshaven" to mean "beardless". I don't know about him, but when I don't shave, I am bearded.



4. This is a well-written, religiously neutral excursion of the visual symbols and elements of the Christian church, more or less as it exists today and leaning somewhat to the Anglican church. It is not a history of Christian church architecture or symbols through the ages though the author seems to be fairly conversant with the relevant art history. It is no more or less than a brief description of what is behind what you'd see in an English church, with accounts of the lives of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Peter and all the rest, in case you know absolutely nothing.
   
   The charming churches the author is most familiar with are relics, and efforts like this one that may in some way preserve them are good. They, the churches of the past, are as much like America's mega-churches as flowers are like asphalt. I don't know if they have mega-churches in Europe. I don't think so. They, the mega-churches, help us envision the utter banality of the age to come. And what a long way we have traveled since Chartres.
   
   The author is studiously non-evangelistic, which is good, but one feels the absence of faith in or hope for anything beyond the obvious. It is really a rather light-hearted anatomy of Christian churches, lacking soul. If there's no hope of meaningfulness, no hope that these places may convey the possibility of a real inner life, it all seems rather hollow.



5. Ever wonder why some saints in paintings and sculpture have square haloes? Why columns have foliate capitals? And what are all those hand signals? Richard Taylor explains in How to Read a Church, written not as a scholastic thesis but as a general guide for lay persons. The basic layout of churches, the number and placement of stained glass windows, the grouping of figures and how to identify who's who - all of this can be helpful in figuring out what the builders and decorative artists were trying to convey to those viewing and appreciating the results of their labors. The book works as a resource, and does not have to be read from cover to cover. Individual chapters, such as that on styles of crosses, can be read separately and perused at leisure. Nice resource.

5 comments about Creating Mandalas.

1. This book contains simple tips for using simple drawing techniques to work on personal issues.
   
   I wish I had read more about this book before I bought it. I was looking for something like an illustrated how-to guide to the art of drawing complex Tibetan-like mandalas, that woud explain and elucidate the geometry and the symbology used in traditional renderings, so that I could create such wonderful masterpieces. Not at all what this is.



2. This book offers a very in depth study of mandalas. I was skeptical since mandalas are such a personal process that this book would be as comprehensive as it is.
   Excellent job and if you get the other two spiral bound mandala books that go along with this - you can get over the intimidation of an empty circle quite quickly. I now have SO MANY ideas for painting mandalas of my own that I only use the mandala "coloring book" (templates) for relaxation exercises in the evening.
   These books have truly been a godsend! Relaxation is the key and these mandala exercises are a great way to get there.
   Enjoy!



3. This book is an amazing way to find out more about yourself and where you are at any particular moment. I teach in a school for massage therapy and this is one of the things I do with my students. We spend a few hours discussing Mandalas and what their significance is and then they create one. It always gives them such great information and it's a great way to chart progress as well. Some of them do mandalas on their own throughout their time in school and we can watch them morph and change. This book gives detailed information, instructions and assements of what your mandala means. I highly recommend it.



4. A lot of great information! If you want to know about mandalas, get this book. No art. No actual mandalas. Still, the best info I've found.



5. Susanne Fincher brings you a wonderful, comprehensive and easy to understand book on creating Mandalas and the meaning behind them. This gem of a book explains how to create a Mandala as a reflection of yourself; Creating and Interpreting the meaning behind your Mandala; What each color means in the Mandala; Using numbers and forms. In the section on "The Great Round of Mandala Forms" there is a wonderful paragraph that will better help you understand how much this form of art therapy can help you heal, it states: "A healthy connection between the ego and Self is very important if one is to be a fully functioning person. It is this linkage that is forged by the individuation process."
   
   In this wonderful book's preface, Susanne shares that Mandalas are widely used by cultures around the world, such as Tibetan Buddhism, and Native American cultures. She genuinely shares how creating her own Mandala helped her to feel better while suffering through the death of a child. She shares how she uses Mandalas with individuals and groups in art therapy.
   
   On a personal note, I learned that if you create a Mandala with the wish or intention for something in your life to come about, and look at it every day, it WILL manifest in your life. I actually tried this, and much to my delightful surprise, what I wanted did come about within a week.
   
   Whether you want to create Mandalas for fun, healing, manifesting, art therapy, or just the joy of creative self-expression, this is one of the best books I have found on the subject.
   
   Highly recommended!
   Barbara Rose, Ph.D. author of Know Yourself: A Woman's Guide to Wholeness, Radiance & Supreme Confidence and Stop Being the String Along: A Relationship Guide to Being THE ONE

5 comments about Signs and Symbols in Christian Art: With Illustrations from Paintings from the Renaissance (Galaxy Books).

1. When I bought this book, I needed a quick and dirty reference to religious symbolism in western art--I was pleased and surprised to find out that it's small, lightweight, and therefore portable when I visit museums. (Why don't more publishers consider weight and size when they print books for travelers? Lonely Planet and DK, I'm looking at you.)
   
   Its easy size belies the incredible amount of useful information it contains; there are fourteen sections covering everything from the significance of certain animals to religious garments to a brief hagiography for commonly portrayed saints. About one-third of the book is a set of reproductions (sadly b&w in this edition) of famous renaissance religious paintings. There's no discussion or explanation accompanying the paintings--which is the only thing I don't like about the book.
   
   And if you read one of the earlier reviews and are wondering about the chocolate mouse in Rosemary's Baby, it's a reference to mice as a symbol of evil because of their destructiveness.



2. I use this book frequently, especially when studying art books of Christian art as well as during a recent Bible study of the Book of Exodus. This was an invaluable guide to the symbolism used in art and the various meanings. For example, when studying the symbolic meaning of the priests robes of the Old Testament, the meaning of the pomegranate for the OT and NT is significant. In the OT, the pomegranate stood for the 613 Mosaic laws (the pomegranate was thought to contain 613 seeds). In the NT, the pomegranate is the symbol for the resurrection of Christ. The Hebrews believed following the law led them to God. For the Christian, belief in Jesus' death and resurrection leads to God! Enjoy this read.



3. Although not encyclopaedic, this book, first published in 1954, is indispensable to the art history, religious art, iconographic, and religious lives student. The essays are of significant depth without excessive volume, and the illustrations, although of a limited period (Medieval through Renaissance), are pungent enough from which to learn. Two limitation I will remark:
   There are no representations from Eastern- or Byzantine- iconography.
   The illustrations are all black and white.



4. I study Art history, and christian art. This book primarily focuses in on Renaissance paintings and thier symbols. I found it to be useful and detail orientated. A very good reference book.



5. If you are an art history student, this book is an absolute must. While there are many books that contradict one another when it comes to symbolism, this book is one that commonly agrees with others I have read or consulted.
   For as inexpensive as this book is, you cannot afford NOT to get this book!

4 comments about Saints: A Year in Faith and Art.

1. I bought this book for my son as he received First Communion. He has consulted it almost every day since, reporting to the rest of the family on the saint featured. Every page turn has a brief story of the saint of the day on one side and a stunning artwork depicting a scene from the saint's life on the other.
   
   One word of caution: martyrdom is not for the faint of heart. Some of the artistic renditions are quite graphic, even explicit, as in the case of Saint Agatha, who apparently had her breasts ripped out with pincers.



2. This is an amazing little book of saints. Designed for a "saint a day", it sometimes has two saints per day, but what really stands out is the absolutely beautiful artwork from medieval to modern times. Although the book is small, and hence the pictures also small, they are so sharp and beautiful that their size won't matter. The lives of each saint, being limited to a page or a page and a half, are only overviews, but good for a brief reading on a daily basis. No large time commitment here.



3. The book offers a daily review of a saint or blessed within the Catholic faith. An overview of their life and who they are patron saints of is included. What I enjoyed most was learning the Saints name origin and what it means. Each review is only 1 large paragraph and a picture is included. What a wonderful way to start or end your daily prayers!



4. As a Catholic priest for over 30 years, I am a lover of spiritual books and stories of role models of the faith. SAINTS: A YEAR in FAITH and ART is just such a book! In addition to the brief paragraphs about each saint, the art work presented relating to the saint is itself worth moments of reflection. If you want more knowledge of a saint, I suggest ALL SAINTS by Robert Ellsberg. If you want a succint understanding of a saint, this is your book! The cover, the daily portrayals and the art work all are worth this price!
   PS: I bought several copies and gave them to my Staff for Christmas gifts. They loved it!

5 comments about Masterpieces of Illumination: The World's Most Famous Manuscripts 400 To 1600.

1. "Masterpieces of Illumination: The World's Most Beautiful Illuminated Manuscripts from 400 to 1600" is essentially a reprint of "Codices illustres: The World's Most Famous Illuminated Manuscripts 400 to 1600." The former is one of many 25th anniversary Taschen editions, and bears the series logo on its dust-jacket and bright green cover (rather than the classier illumination of the Limburg Brother's Anatomical Man that adorns the cover of the latter). "Masterpieces" is also slightly smaller (9 ¾" x 12 ½") than the original (10 ¼" x 13 ¼"). There are a few other slight differences between the two editions: different endpapers; white paper for the appendix in "Masterpieces," ivory in "Codices"; and slightly darker illustrations in Masterpieces (only noticeable if you actually compare the editions side by side). Otherwise the two editions are virtually identical.
   This is a truly wonderful book. It contains discussions and representative illuminations from 167 of the most famous and influential extant codices, books of hours, psalters, Bibles and histories from Europe and Asia (23 or the 167 are from Persia, turkey and India) during the 1200 years in which manuscript illumination flourished as an art form (and at the end of the text proper are samples from yet another 29 manuscripts). The full-color and often full-page illustrations are beautifully and accurately rendered, and the accompanying descriptions are both authoritative and unusually informative. The appendix contains artist biographies, along with a comprehensive bibliography, glossary, and index. In short, this is more than just a coffee-table book; in fact, I use it in my university course on manuscript illumination (along with Christopher De Hamel's excellent "A History of Illuminated Manuscripts," which forms the perfect companion piece to this volume.).
   At the current retail price ($29.95) this book is an absolute steal. If you only get one book on the subject of manuscript illumination, this should be the one!



2. I agree with every word written in the previous reviews: this is a stunning work and one of my most prized possessions, ranging across manuscript illumination from the very earliest known through early to late Middle Ages and Renaissance, and geographically also ranging much more widely (i.e. outside Europe) than any work I've come across.
   
   I paid £37 for it in the UK when it first came out ($75), and still thought it was an absolute bargain. So I am mystified why it is suddenly available (October 2007) at a fraction of the price: this must be being sold at a loss - or are Taschen simply offloading all unsold copies to Amazon? It might be worth Amazon specifying if this indeed the same as the original edition. You'll note that the cover picture is slighlty different from the one you get when you follow the link to the more expensive 'other editions' (even if the text content and reviews are identical).



3. Illumination has fascinated me since I was a boy. This is the best book I have seen of illuminations. The scope includes books in Greek, Latin, Old Church Slavonic, Persian, and Mayan. The printing is superb. Detailed descriptions tell who did the work, who patronized it, who owned the book, where it is now, and so forth. Great for browsing for enjoyment and as a source of inspiration. I expect this book to be a favorite for many years to come. Anybody who enjoys calligraphy and illumination would be delighted to own this book.



4. This book is worth every penny! It has fantastic HUGE pictures full of great detail. As an artist who specialises in ancient illuminated manuscripts, I value this book above all others in my personal library. So many great manuscripts are represented here. Truely high art!



5. This book deserves a seven stars score, as it is magnificent in every sense: Paper, Colour palette reproduction, basic and reliable information accompanying every depicted facsimil, and specially because of the scope of the compendium, involving manuscript examples from arabic countries as well as a XIII century mexican manuscript (The Borgia Codex currently held at the Biblioteca Vaticana) This collection shows (as rarely done by supossedly comprehensive treatises) that Mesoamerican, Chinese and Arabic cultures do also possess a very rich medieval heritage, characterised by a colourful tradition in art production. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in Medieval illumination, as well as for those modern illuminators concerned with applying only authentic medieval colours (mostly inorganic compounds) in their manuscript reproductions and finally, this book serves also as a comprehensive guide for visiting great libraries and museums all around the world where some of these manuscripts are exhibited (Do not forget to visit the Condé Museum and The Marmottan-Monet Museum in France).

5 comments about The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs.

1. If you're interested in Tibetan Buddhist iconography for whatever reason you can't go wrong with this detailed book. The author's original illustrations provide a wealth of examples of images in Tibetan art, and the text provides rich historical and doctrinal background for understanding why the symbols are important. Highly recommended.



2. Recieved the book promptly and in the condition promised. The book is an excellent source book. It does suffer from being without an index, for which the author apologizes. A source book without index is less than it should be. Still the images are excellent, and I assume the text is accurate. The author has spent a good portion of his working life in preparation: studying with Tibetan artists and craftspeople; and, becoming accomplished at rendering the brush drawings in an authentic manner. A good compaion book, especially as this does not have a index, is the "Handbook" by the same author



3. It's a more interesting and authoritative reference for this subject matter. This is due to Rinpoche being a qualified (I emphasise the word 'qualified') Lama and Tibetan scholar. Also at no point does Rinpoche compromise Tibetan Buddhism by giving away restricted information.



4. I love this book. Having found it a few years back at a tattoo shop in Santa Cruz, California, I was only able to look at it for a short time but I was able to gain so much knowledge as to the wealth of designs and deep meaning found in Tibetan art. This book stayed in my mind thereafter. Here it is a few years and a couple tattoos later and the book resurfaced on Amazon. Great price, great condition and prompt service. This book is great for one who has interest in Tibetan art and it's symbolic nature. The concepts are well articulated and with each 'type' placed into a different chapter it makes refrencing quite simple. If you are interested, get this book!



5. Great book, with lots of details. If you are interested in tibetan handicrafts, here you can get any tibetan design you can imagine.

5 comments about Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling.

1. We saw the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and I wanted to know more about the person and the era that it was created. This book helped fill in the gaps of my knowledge.



2. This is one of the finest historical books I have read. It is well researched and insightful, as well as occasionally funny. King has an amazing way of bringing historical figures to life and placing them in context. I read it as I travelled Italy and finished as we visited the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. Perhaps that brought it to life more for me. I recommend this book to anyone who is even mildly interested in Michelangelo or art. It is a great read.



3. If you have come this far, you really should go ahead and get this book and read it. Make sure you have some time set aside, because once you start you will not want to put this book down. This is the third Ross King art history book I have read. It meets my two criteria for an Amazon review: Is it worth the time? Is it worth the money? Yes and yes. It is highly readable, factual and entertaining. It provides insight into the works of Michaelangelo, which constitute some of the great cultural artifacts of civilization. At the same time, King sticks to his subject - The Chapel Vault- thus he has little discussion of early Medici years, many of the great sculptures, the Last Judgement and even the architecture of St Peter's. This is focused on this special period and task. The events of Julius II's reign and his military campaign are the core of discussion - one is tempted to wonder what aesthetic motives drove this man. We are made aware of Raphael working across the way and Bramante and his group fishing for influence. The point of view is decidedly in favor of Michaelango's side in controversies, but evidence is somewhat balanced. Whatever happens in your reading program, do not miss this one.



4. A master sculptor, who becomes a painter, to continue with his quest and passion as a sculptor. King's accounting of the painting of the sistine chapel ceiling is filled with details of day-to-day situations arranged and contrived by the artist. Micelangelo must use real world problem solving skills to deal with the realities of his times in his performance in completing a task of incrediable challenges. King convincingly clarifies and disarms some of the myths surrounding the work and working process. Clearly King has done his research and gives an insightful accounting of the life and times of Pope Julius II and his relationship with Michelangelo and other artist, architects and politicians. The warrior Pope maintains a love and support of the arts throughout his career with a special display of admiration and love for the artist, Michelanglo. He does all this while managing some strategic manuevers in an era of difficult and trying political arena. For anyone interested in the Renaissance art and artist of the time this approach to learning is a pleasant read. As for me, I am looking into what else Mr. King has to offer.



5. I found this an excellent read. It's pretty much a straight forward story of Michelangelo. It seemed to have updated information compared to "The Agony and the Ecstacy" and much less drama.