1 comments about In the Hand of the Holy Spirit: The Visionary Art of J.B. Murray.

1. J.B. Murray's abstract art leaves a vivid, immediate impression. Padgelek clearly explains Murray's African-Islamic and Evangelical Christian influences, an analysis which expands previous studies of this self-taught, visionary black artist. Padgelek's biography of Murray goes beyond academic analysis, to include Murray's overriding mission in his art-- a visionary experience of the Holy Spirit. Murray's essential sanity and commonsense within his religious context and 'calling' are sensitively treated. Although his work is primarily abstract, Murray often filled a painting's space with haunting, human faces and figures, as seen in the book's many illustrations. Padgelek adds to our appreciation of a unique talent. An excellent book!

2 comments about The Invocation of the Name of Jesus: As Practiced in the Western Church.

1. I never knew the impact the name of Jesus has. Dr. Coomaraswamy explains well the difference and the interface between a person's will and his knowlenge.



2. Dr. Coomaraswamy provides a "florilegium" of the Western tradition concerning the invocation of the Holy Name in prayer that is at once exhilarating and informative. He intersperses the words of the saints with his own commentary, weaving together voices from disparate eras to show the varied yet coherent and unified tapestry that is the Western tradition of prayer through meditation on the name of the Lord. Many suppose "the Jesus Prayer" as it is popularly known to be a thing solely to be found in Russian Orthodox, or at best general Eastern Orthodox, spirituality, and many modern books on the Jesus Prayer advance the cultivation of this misconception. Yet, as the prayer itself is testified by the ancient early fathers to be of apostolic origin, it is was the possession of the entire Church, east and west, before the schism, and it remains the possession of the Catholic Church today. From St. Augustine to St. Peter Canisius, from St. Cyril to St. Thomas Aquinas, the ancient saints of East and West, and the more recent saints of the West set forth the long-cherished doctrine of mystical prayer still practiced in the bosom of the Catholic Church.

No comments about Islamic Art and Archaeology in Palestine.

No comments about The Picture Bible of Ludwig Denig: A Pennsylvania German Emblem Book.

No comments about Aditi: The Living Arts of India.

No comments about Esta Es Nuestra Iglesia: Una Guia Para Ninos.

No comments about Explorations in Art, Theology and Imagination.

5 comments about Sister Wendy's Book of Saints.

1. Sister Wendy has put together a great book on Saints. I really enjoyed that she placed the saint's feast day, attributes, and what the saint is a patron to in the margins. Lovely stories and paintings. It's only fault is that it could have been much longer with more saints included.



2. A beautifully constucted book for as far as it goes, but we Sister Wendy lovers are left wanting more! If anything, it seems too small in scale. Like a delicious meal that we're only allowed to take a couple bites of. This is actually a great thumbnail introduction to saints for all us non-Catholics. The usual great paintings with Sister Wendy's wonderful, insightful commentaries. But we wish for bigger visual and literary feast. Everything about the book is small scale. Some of the illustrations should have been blown up to a larger size. We wish Sister Wendy would have gone on longer in her commentaries. At 93 pages, we wish for at least 100 more. She shouldn't have limited her selections to paintings from just one Italian exhibition. For all its brevity, I highly recommend the book. Lasty, don't pass up any chance to snag a copy of the video version of this book which aired on PBS.



3. Sister Wendy Beckett is a gifted story teller and artist. Her delightful paintings and her wonderfully original expressions bring Catholicism to all readers. This delightful book is truly one of a kind. Sister Wendy shares her love for painting and her gift for this medium in this work. Her loving recounting of the accounts of saints' lives will touch, amuse and delight all who are fortunate enough to encounter this wonderful book.

   Sister Wendy shows a light touch, a gentle approach to imparting her faith journey and the information she has gathered over the years. The bright colors emphasize the light, bright, upbeat tone of this wonderful book. I can't recommend it highly enough. This is truly a keeper.

   God bless Sister Wendy!




4. Sister Wendy's Book of Saints By Sister Wendy Beckett.
   This is a beautiful little book (96 pages), all bright and shiny paper with brilliant colors that almost leap off the page. Sister Wendy, the nun who has made a trade mark out of her running in and out of art museums, has collected the images of saints to support both her love of art and her orthodox views on Catholicism. The book begins with St. Peter (Petrine privilege?) and works its way down to lesser-known saints.
   With each portrait, Sister Wendy points out an interesting tidbit. For example, with the Evangelist, St. Mark, (page 17), Sister Wendy indicates that the artist has portrayed the saint forming a cross with his pen and his sharpening knife. She lightens the mood by describing the lion, in the painting, as resembling "... an imbecilic sheep gazing in wonderment..." at St. Mark. This lightening of the mood is intentional as Sister Wendy repeats it (page 24) when she describes the ox in St. Luke's portrait as "...an almost goofy ox".

   Despite this levity, Sister Wendy comes across as quite serious about both the art depicting the saints and the theology of the saints she has chosen. In summary, I would be very happy to have this book given to me.




5. If the rating had 10 stars, i would have given it 10. Sister wendy provides lucid and clear pictures and text, good book for all ages

1 comments about Bernini and the Idealization of Death: The Blessed Ludovica Albertoni and the Altieri Chapel.

1. As the only monograph-length study of Bernini's statue of Beata Ludovica Albertoni, this book fills an important gap in Bernini art historiography. It has for this reason also attracted a certain amount of critical attention. While valuable in all kinds of ways (it reproduces sections of several primary sources dealing with the Beata, her life and the attempt to have her canonised), this is a deeply flawed book that suffers because of its reluctance from a unified vision of the statue's symbolism; Perlove reads Bernini's conception as multivalent in a way that most commentators on the 'bel composto' generally do not, and the result is an unsynthesised mish-mash of different points of view. Readers wanting something more coherent is terms of a reading are better off with Careri's 'Bernini: flights of love, the art of devotion'. The photography in this book is of a shocking quality. Most tourists to this sculpture take better pictures of this sculpture than are in this book.

No comments about The Road To Rome, A Modern Pilgrimage.