4 comments about Santos: Enduring Images of Northern New Mexican Village Churches.

1. This book has just been awarded "Exceptional Books of 1999" by the A List, published by Bookman Book Review Syndicate and is a candidate for best book of the year. The reviewing panel found it to be worthy of such an award, and it was chosen over hundreds of books.



2. Since E. Boyd wrote her almanac about the traditional arts of the 18th and 19th centuries in New Mexico and the surrounding areas, she was followed by several books written by Professor William Wroth, then at the Taylor Museum in Colorado Springs. Both his books were concerned with the Taylor collection of Santos, a huge representation housed in their Museum. However, Wroth's books are difficult reading, particularly for the novice and the collector. His usage of big words unnecessarily bog down the information, and there are few discoveries which separate his writings from those of the late E. Boyd. Miss Cash, on the other hand, has blessed us with an informative, easy to read book on the Santos in the New Mexican churches, replete with hundreds of photographs (many previously unpublished) which form a chain which extends from the 1760's to 1900. Yes, we would have loved for these photographs to be all color, but certainly the writing makes up for that lack. An ingenious detective search allowed Miss Cash to unearth the identities of two major santeros, the 18th Century Novice and the magnificent Laguna Santero. This book is must reading, not only for the collector, but for the researcher and those interested in the primitive arts of the region.



3. I found "Santos" a very informative book. There have been other books written on this subject, but none have covered the subject so thoroughly. The author has discovered the names of two previously unknown santeros, and has proven her theories respectably; she has also gone into great detail to dispel many of the myths about the santeros created by other writers. I think this book is a must read about this subject. Granted, many of the photos are black and white, but that does not diminish the importance of the research. It was not designed to be a coffee-table book, and therefore the university press which published has done an ok job of reproducing the many photos. As I understand it, this book has received great reviews by the author's peers, perhaps some of which should be mentioned here: Tradicion Revista; New Mexico Magazine; Latina Magazine and many others. It has been called the "New Testament" as relates to the subject.



4. An interesting composition of information mostly available from other books. A nice group of photos unfortuantely most are black and white which is somewhat dissappointing.

No comments about Getting Started in Drama Ministry: A Complete Guide to Christian Drama.

No comments about The Christian Story: Five Asian Artists Today.

No comments about The Esoteric Meaning in Raphael's Paintings: The Philosophy of Composition in the Disputa,the School of Athens, The Transfiguration.

5 comments about In the Midst of Chaos, Peace.

1. "In The Midst Of Chaos, Peace," is a reminder of the gentle, yet strong spirit of an ever-present God, who still lives and breathes beneath a world in turmoil and values gone haywire! It is a beautiful blending of three enormous talents that fit together well, to create a masterpiece of lyric and "visual music," that will stir the soul at every reading! One wonders how any human could create such beauty with paper, and sissors, and endless patience and faith. And Sr. Wendy's words fit perfectly, making this an unforgettable book for all ages!



2. Dan Paulos creates silhouettes of peace. Discreetly, they whisper a message of pure giving, secret gardens of joy, and radiant blessings. Indeed, where art becomes an exercise in prayer, only there is truly sacred art. The humble papercutting artist of Albuquerque and friend of the late Sister Mary Jean Dorcy gives beauty an old-new name, that of selflessness, source of peace.



3. CHAOS exists only in the title of this book. It is childlike in it simplicity and deeply devout. May it bring peace.



4. The silhouette has always held an enigmatic place in the history of art. This collection of papercuts beautifully displays that mystery, and Sister Wendy Beckett's unique commentary adds the necessary strength of the Gospel.



5. This work pleasures the eye, warms the heart and elevates the soul. It is a successful blend of three talents that will never fail to delight and inspire.

1 comments about Selectscripts: Marriage (Selectscripts).

1. My wife and I do dramas on accocion for our church and we have to find ones that are 2 people based. This book was just that to help us when we run dry of creativity. With my wife and I having met them we can truely say that Paul and Nicole are truley blessed in this and their ministry let's it show in this title.

   Great Work indeed.

1 comments about Tree of Life: Image for the Cosmos (Art and Imagination).

1. As part of the "art and imagination" series I was confident that this would be an excellent and informative book. However, I was unprepared to find it the single best work on the topic of the universal spiritual symbolism of the tree that I've ever found.
   
   The essay that makes up the first part of the book is a comprehensive and insightful exposition of the symbolic significance of the tree in virtually every culture from the shamanistic, to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, to the Judeo-Christian and Muslim religions, to the Vedic and Buddhist traditions, to the realm of modern art. The tree is shown to be the universal symbol of the sacred center of the world- the axis mundi. It represents the link between heaven and earth- rooted in the dark unconscious; growing up through the earthly middle world of experience, suffering, and purification; and then branching out into the light of transcendent heaven. To climb the Tree is the perfect image of the path towards enlightenment. Or, conversely, depending on your perspective, you can also see the great Tree as rooted in heaven and growing downward to flower in our lower world.
   
   The truly amazing factor is how this imagery can arise spontaneously in the minds of men and women who have had no contact with these traditions. I can testify to that myself.
   
   The second part of the book is made of plates of illustrations- 165 with 31 in full color. All are provided with interpretive descriptive paragraphs. These images are perhaps more powerful to contemplate than the text.
   
   Though it is out of print, this book is worth the effort and expense to track down for your permanent reference library.

2 comments about Symbols of Islam (Symbols of Religions).

1. I own every title in this glorious Editions Assouline series, to which--as you've, no doubt, noticed--nearly every reviewer has seen fit to ascribe four or five stars. The book is a delight to review, brimming from cover to cover with glorious photography that distills--as its author purports, and alone purports--the SYMBOLS of Islam. After reading the book, I found myself enthralled, fascinated, appreciative of the profound beauty of the Muslim artisan, and motivated to learn more of the faith that drove him to create. I neither found nor expected to find a deep theosophical treatise on Koranological foundations or eschatology. Explanations of various Muslim habits abound--though you must pick through mountains of detail to find them--in the appendices of Khalifa's annotated Quran. Ranging from most to least learned, Jordan's "Islam: An Illustrated History," Nomachi's "Mecca the Beautiful, Medina the Radiant," and Michaud's "The Orient in a Mirror" span the gamut of excellent Muslim-explanative (though markedly not Muslim-apologetic or Muslim-eschatologic) reading, and all offer breathtaking photographs and--at times--impart a distinct "you are there" feeling to the armchair traveler. Now, I grant William his right to stingily reserve but a single star for this book, but I must disagree as strongly as possible with him. He is clearly in the minority here. I have no handy titles on the jurisprudential aspects of fiqh to which to refer him--nor, indeed, am I oriented thither. (Of course, insofar as he dares to mention the holiness of Islam and the cancerous, muddled, rumor-mongering of Hadith in the same sentence, I could wonder about the purity of this aspiring softa in the first place, but I digress: let him devote his jihad to the appreciation of what the book has to offer, not to what it neither advertises to offer nor remotely could within such a short expanse.)



2. When I first ordered this book, I had high hopes that it would reveal and explain many of the "symbols" of the religion of Islam and its followers, the Muslims. That is one of the problems of buying a book unseen. (Apparently the book's author had some photographs from his travel through Islamic countries and needed to provide some text, and this booklet followed in a series of similar photo booklets regarding other religions.) The author wrote: "The original Muslim mission...began circa 610 and ended in June 632"(p.2). The reader is left wondering: What happened: did some government program run out of funds? The relevant sentence should have been written: "The original Muslim mission...began circa 610 when Mohammad began to receive spiritual visits from the angle Gabriel and ended with Mohammad's death in June 632." I had hoped that this booklet would have been more informative. The author wrote: "(T)he names of the first four Caliphs, called the 'Properly Guided Caliphs'...,because they, too, are models of virture, are held in very high esteem...."(p.19). What the author apparently doesn't realize is that they are called the 'Properly Guided Caliphs' because out of all of the Muslim caliphs, they were the only four to have known Mohammad and thereby studied his teachings first hand. The author fairly well describes the prayer ritual (riqa), but omits some details (such as towards the conclusion, the prayerful look both right and left and wish the adjacent person well). The author notes that "When dressing...Muslims favour long white tunics..." but doesn't explain why: because Mohammad in the hadith had voiced his preference for white clothing, and dictated bulky or shapeless clothing for women so that they become almost unnoticeable to men -- and therefore wouldn't prompt men to lose all self-control and ravish women wearing tight-fitting dresses. The author claims that "green" was the preferred color of Mohammad, but doesn't cite a source of his claim. During a Muslim's pilgrimage (al Hajj) to Mecca, the author notes that the pilgrims wear only white sheets for clothing, but is apparently unaware that after the pilgrimage Muslim keep these sacred sheets to be buried in. The author notes that pilgrims kiss or touch the "Black Stone" that is embedded in a corner of the Kaaba building, but doesn't note they do so in their belief that the stone sucks out evil traits from the pilgrim. The author notes he had some Muslims review the book for their insights; too bad he didn't ask many more. This booklet has small print, only about 50 photographs, really is not a serious research tome regarding Muslim symbols -- some text to go along with his photos. Read it at your library (if you are already there), but I'd recommend instead: "Understanding Islam and Muslim Traditions" by Tanya Gulevich.

No comments about The Celtic Cross (New Celtic Library).

1 comments about Francis Bacon: The Papal Portraits of 1953.

1. Just when you thought you had every treatise about the edgy painter of confrontational imagery from the brush of Francis Bacon, up pops this well designed and written book on just how this amazing artist approached an image, an idea, and carried that to completion. Written by Bacon scholar Hugh Marlais Davies and including an interview with the artist that to my knowledge finds its first publication in this volume, this small but impressive book served as a catalogue for the exhibition FRANCIS BACON: THE PAPAL PORTRAITS OF 1953 presented by the Museum of Contemporary art of San Diego in La Jolla, California in 2001.
   
   The exhibition, and this accompanying catalogue, was powerful in that it focused on eight studies for the papal series (emphasizing the response to Velasquez' popes) that Bacon painted in three weeks time in 1953. Here is all of the energy and agony, the distillation of Bacon's view of the Church and the Universe, and the opportunity to scrutinize Bacon's technique of drawing to painting that makes these portrait studies so important to artist, scholar and art lover alike.
   
   As in the exhibition, the portraits are ordered in a circular fashion in the main hall, and this installation is reproduced well in this volume. Then each portrait study is individually presented with the exceptionally educational essay by Davies. One leaves this books the same way the exhibition impressed the visitors - informed, appalled, fascinated and moved. An important document in the books on the life and works of Francis Bacon. Grady Harp, March 05