1 comments about The Symbols of the Church.

1. I have always been too embarrassed to ask why some holy cards show a skull at the base of the Cross,or what a bleeding stag represents in iconography. Not only does Symbols of the Church answer these perplexing questions, it explains what a "thurifer" is, traces the history of liturgical vestments, and explains the significance of church architecture.

   Though it demonstrates some questionable theology, Symbols of the Church is not a theology book. It's a dictionary, an encyclopedia of the symbols of the Christian world, a glossary of architectural terms and a guide book to sacred vestments and vessels. It answers virtually any question about churches, Christian symbols and ritual. Each entry is brief, giving just enough information to satisfy curiosity, yet hinting at extensive research and reams of knowledge omitted for space considerations. Generous and lush illustrations demonstrate how symbols have been used in the past and are used in the same ways today.

   As a resource or reference book for school projects and family discussions, it would be a valuable addition to any Catholic home library. Children between the ages of four and ten will be entranced and fascinated by the beautiful pictures, between the ages of ten and sixteen should be encouraged to question anything they read, and older will enjoy browsing through the reams of information in the book.

No comments about Loyal And His Band.

4 comments about Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou.

1. As the title says, if you are interested in Vodou-influenced Haitian art (in other words, most Haitian art), this is the definitive book on the subject. If you are not interested in the subject, the breathtaking illustrations are likely to make you a convert.

   Consentino has compiled some excellent information to go along with the pictures, including interviews with Vodouisants and artists. He avoids the all-too-common sensationalist treatments of Haitian Vodou, and is never condescending or patronizing. He (correctly) treats Vodou like a world religion, and gives it due respect; his scholarship is impeccable both in art and comparative religion. Well worth the cost: this is a coffee table book you will cherish.




2. This book is the catalogue of the recent New Orleans Vodou exhibit. I had studied comparative religions when I was in college, so the origins and practice of vodou are of natural interest to me, but I knew absolutely nothing about vodou until seeing this exhibit. Having lived in New Orleans, I had always thought that voodoo involved sticking pins into dolls to bring bad luck or disease to an enemy and other darkly occult rituals. Obviously, I didn't understand vodou at all, not even to know the correct spelling. The Hollywood film industry is responsible for a large part of our misconceptions about vodou.

   I quote André Pierre, a contributor to the catalog: "The Vodou religion is before all other religions. It is more ancient than Christ. It is the first religion of the Earth. It is the creation of the World. The World is created by Vodou. The world is created by magic. The first magician is God who created people with his own hands from the dust of the Earth. People originated by magic in all countries of the world. No one lives of the flesh. Everyone lives of the spirit."

   Spirits (lwa) of vodou define parts of the universal human experience. The spirits all have names and personalities, very much like Roman Catholic saints. Like Mexican altars to deceased ancestors for El Dia de los Muertos, these vodou spirits are offered their favorite things that represent these personalities. These items are placed on altars or sewn in sequins and beads on 36" x 36" flags in their honor. The spirits, like saints, are invoked to grant favors or assist in getting through a difficult time, or they are praised for their virtues and help.

   My two favorite Vodou spirits are Ezili Freda and Ezili Danto. These cousins are diametrically opposed forces of femininity. Ezili Freda represents love and luxury, a city girl who has elegant fashion sense, likes sweet drinks and Virginia Slims cigarettes. She looks pretty, dressed in white lace with pink trim. Her day is Thursday. Mater Dolorosa represents Ezili Freda.

   Her country cousin Ezili Danto is linked to protective motherhood. She dresses in bright red and blue calicos and drinks strong rum. Black pigs symbolize Ezili Danto and her favorite food is fried pork. She smokes unfiltered Camel cigarettes and her days are Tuesdays and Saturdays. Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Mater Salvatoris represent Ezili Danto.

   This catalog allows a closer study of the brilliant sequin art associated with vodou. Spirit bottles, mirrors, jackets, vests, leggings and flags are covered with the flash of sequins that are anchored with seed beads. The symbols of the vodou spirits and their aspects are reflected by the designs made with the sequins and beads.

   The Sacred Arts catalog is an obviously well researched and comprehensive look at Vodou. I highly recommend it for a broad range of people, from cultural anthropologists to decorative artists.




3. I've been obsessed with this book ever since I was introduced to it. I find it well-researched and unbiased. It provides an accurate glance into this unfairly shunned religion.



4. Everything about this book is of the speaks of quality. The numerous color prints are excellent,and the paper and binding have a luxurious feel.

   This is a combination art book, art history book, book about religion, and travel book. The different perspectives that are brought together in this one volume makes it absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in Haiti. I have read it cover to cover twice, and plan to read it a third time.

   Only one chapter suffers from a dry, academic approach, that is the one on African Voudou, and may be safely skipped without missing much. That chapter, which contains no color prints, is much below the standards of the rest of the book.

   I am surprised that I am the first person to write a review of this book, because it is really an incredibly well done volume.

   The authors include anthropologists, folklorists, art historians, voudou practioneers, and artists. Yet the organization of the book makes each chapter fl! ! ow into the other. Well worth the $100.00 purchase price.

   Don't be put off by the word "voudou". This is not a goofy "new age" kind of book that teaches you to do spells. It is high quality, facinating analysis of the art, culture and lif of Haiti.

3 comments about The Psalms: An Artist's Impression.

1. I have been looking all over for works that depict biblical themes through modern art. Anneke Kaai takes Psalms that we are all familiar with and puts a refreshing spin on them. The medium, oils and acrylics on plexiglass, is incredibly unique and beautiful. She captures the emotion of the Psalms in her use of color and contrasting lights and darks. Coupled with passages from Eugene H. Peterson's "The Message," the Psalms spring to life in this book, letting modern audiences identify with timeless Truth and a very good God. :)



2. In the late middle ages, no book of the bible was illustrated as frequently and fully as the book of Psalms. But then the practice went out of fashion. Now, contemporary Dutch artist Anneke Kaai has received the tradition, creating 25 admirable paintings and collages based on interpretations of 25 Psalms. The images, however, are not traditional: I find no scenes of David playing his harp in this tall, slim beautifully printed volume. Rather, the paintings are quite simple and abstract. A single, craggy cliff illustrates Psalm 31. The Psalm 84 is illustrated with small sparrows nest in the lily-shaped capital of the bronze column named Boaz, which stood outside Salomon's Temple. I considered this volume an exquisite expression of the religious art. It is intense and contemplative at the same time.



3. The book ties contemporary images with paraphrased Psalms. I think the Psalms are incredibly beautiful without being paraphrased.

   The audience for this book is probably more of a pre-teen or teenager that is new to Christianity. That's not me.

No comments about The Word Made Image: Religion, Art, and Architecture in Spain and Spanish America, 1500-1600 (Fenway Court).

1 comments about Toward Theology of Beauty (Theology).

1. Written prior to his 1999 book Enjoying the Beauty of God, this book serves as an informative introduction to the later work. John Navone introduces the reader to the subject of beauty within the Christian world and outlines the theological presuppositions necessary to develop a more complete theology of beauty for the contemporary church. Navone's style is at times confusing when refering to God/beauty/Beauty Itself etc. however, the overall tone of the book is both interesting and authoratative. Of particular value to the lay reader concerned with the subject of beauty within the Christian west, and the value of the recovery of beauty in contemporary belief. In chapter seven of this work Navone outlines the presuppositions that are necessary for a deeper formulation of a theology of beauty. This inclusion is very helpful. This book is what it purports to be - not an exhaustive treatise on beauty but a necessary prerequisite for further study and reflection. That Navone's book is followed in 1999 by Enjoying God's Beauty is not a surprise but a fitting conclusion to this book.

No comments about How Do Stories Save Us?: An Essay on the Question With the Theological Hermeneutics of David Tracy in View (Louvain Theological & Pastoral Monographs).

2 comments about Leonardo's Incessant Last Supper.

1. Leo Steinberg wrote a very intellectual, rigorous book about Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. I liked the way it gave so many fresh perspectives on how to analyze and interpret the painting. The genius of the book is that is amalgamates an enormous amount of information about the Last Supper...and somehow leaves you feeling that only part of the information has been uncovered. It's a feeling of ambiguity; so much has been learned, but we have so much more to discover. Just like da Vinci would have wanted! Steinberg is a great author for this subject.
   
   I will leave most of the surprises and delights of the book for you to discover, but consider: Steinberg writes about connections between pairs of apostles in the painting (threes are not only significant, and in fact are probably less significant); he shows how Leonardo possessed an advanced understanding of perspective and created an impossible location; and the book contains an overview of (da Vinci) Last Supper copies throughout history.
   
   I do not recall Steinberg discussing John the Baptist as actually being a woman or more speculative aspects of the Last Supper such as secret society messages. Leonardo's Incessant Last Supper attempts to give an analysis of the painting that unearths why and how Leonardo da Vinci painted it, and in my view Steinberg comes closer than anyone I have read. econ



2. You have seen the image hundreds of times. It has been copied and parodied relentlessly for over five hundred years. It shows Jesus at the center of a dining table, flanked by six disciples on either side. Everyone knows _The Last Supper_, but few know as much about it as Leo Steinberg, who has looked and written and thought about it for thirty years. The result of these decades of concentration are poured out in _Leonardo's Incessant Last Supper_ (Zone Books), as close an examination of a painting as you will ever find. The book is not about the painting's history, its decay, or its restoration; it is, in astonishing detail, about the looks of the picture itself and a demonstration of how it continues to be an "incessant" font of thought and speculation as to its meaning. Steinberg's big book is wonderfully well illustrated, with details from the original, a generous gatefold to show it in its current restored state, pictures of how it looks within the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, how Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, and a host of others copied the painting (and how they left out significant parts, and what the omissions mean), and plenty of diagrams to show such things as the lines of perspective and the effects of matrices and diagonals on Leonardo's meticulously planned original.

   Steinberg has chapters on the disciples, on feet and hands, on the disciples, and more. The main figure, that of Jesus, bears, of course, the closest examination, and Steinberg details the history of thought about it, with writers weighing in on the meaning of the pose and the timing within the Gospel story of the scene depicted. Over and over, Steinberg shows that to seek a meaning and a timing is in vain. Leonardo has deliberately engineered his work so that any explanation involving a single meaning will be an oversimplification. Jesus's right hand is downturned in a gesture of apprehension. It is close to a mirror image of the left hand of Judas as they reach simultaneously towards the dish by which Jesus will designate his betrayer. It is also gesturing towards the wine, so that it marks the institution of the Eucharist; after reading Steinberg's work, the idea that Leonardo drew these two separate parts of the story together and told them as one is only one of the multiple meanings that seem natural on further reflection. Jesus's left hand is upturned, gesturing toward the bread. It also underlies the portentous hand of Thomas, hovering directly above it. Thomas's hand has an index finger pointing up, continuing the upturn theme of Jesus's left, and indicating, of course, higher things. It is Thomas's index finger that would soon be feeling around for confirmation of Jesus's wounds.

   To read this book is to appreciate a hundred telling details in the painting which one did not notice before, and consequently to admire Leonardo's genius anew. It is also to admire the fruition of the decades of Steinberg's close study. His readers may feel a sense of humility that there was so much to see that had previously escaped them, but his witty, sure, and genial expertise will welcome them into seeing _The Last Supper_ with new vision.

No comments about Images of Flight.

No comments about Bible Manuscripts.