Subjects:  1. Christianity - Theology - General    2. Religion    3. Religion - Theology    4. Subjects & Themes - Religious    5. Theology    6. Christian theology    7. The Arts: General Issues   

Reviews (1)

Magnificent
Here is a wonderful book -- well writen, informative, and a thing of visual beauty.
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Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Christianity - General    3. History    4. Religion    5. Religion And Art    6. Subjects & Themes - Religious    7. Art / General    8. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    9. Religion / Church History    10. Religious subjects depicted in art   

Reviews (4)

Quick and Easy Banner Designs
Our team used several of the ideas in this book and they went together like clockwork.A really great book.

Book arrived Monday. . . banner hanging in church by Sunday
I had wanted to start a banner ministry for years.After our pastor mentioned it to me, I decided it was time to jump in and do it.I purchased this book and another by the same author.I received the books on Monday and had a banner ready by Sunday.The timesaving and money saving tips are wonderful.If I were to have tried making one on my own without this book, I would have never gotten finished.The directions are clear and easy to follow.If you have been thinking of starting a banner ministry for your church, this is the book to start with.

Nice ideas but no color
The only color in this book is the cover of the book.I would like to see the banners in color.The ideas are great but... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christian art and symbolism    2. Christianity - Church Admin. - Program Resources    3. Christianity - Ritual & Practice    4. Church Supplies    5. Church pennants    6. Cooking    7. Methods - Quick & Easy   

Reviews (4)

the most insightful book
This book opens a door into Van Gogh's connection with Eastern philosophy. Although Van Gogh never had a close reading of Buddhism through texts, he was able to see the key points of impermanence of Buddhism through the prints that he acquired. These key points are very much evident in his letters. thoroughly informative and concisely written. good work!
Eventhough my studies do not allow me a great deal of time to read books of my choice, I could not deny the work of Dr. "Cliffy-baby" Edwards. His book, "Van Gogh and God: A Creative Spiritual Quest"was just that. It was, in every sense of the phrase, a creatively spiritualpage turner. His language and content captures the reader's mind and bydoing so, captures the reader's spiritual core. Once mesmerized by thelife, work, and creative madness of the artist, the reader becomes smoothlyinundated with the thorough biographical information that Dr. Edwards soeloquently puts to page. At the risk of sounding mildly educated, I hadnever realized the influence Zen Buddhism had on the artist until readingDr. Edwards' book. I did, of course, realize the "oriental"aspect of Van Gogh's approach to painting but I never knew of his "ZenBuddhist" approach to living. Sometimes the samurai leaves themonarchy and spends his life in caves painting. Congratulations Dr. E. fora fine work indeed.

Van Gogh and God gives us a glimpse into the artist's soul.
I recently heard the author of Van Gogh and God, Dr. Cliff Edwards, speak about Vincent.At this particular gathering, he also showed wonderful slides of the artist's work.As a result of that encounter with Dr.Edwards and Vincent Van Gogh, I bought Dr. Edwards' warm and accessiblebook, Van Gogh and God.While reading it, much like the disciples whospoke to Christ without recognizing him on the road to Emmaus, I felt myheart burn within me while Vincent's life opened up before me like a lotusflower. I especially connected with Van Gogh's insistence that he was"not an admirer" of biblical subjects (to paint).Apparently hefelt that paintings such as The Nativity and Christ in the Garden ofGethsemane avoided getting to the "reality of things" and gavehim "a powerful feeling of collapse instead of progress." Topaint biblical material must have felt inauthentic to Vincent as hejourneyed on his spiritual quest. Lois Lowry in her book, The Giver,addresses this very issue of authenticity.Jonas, the hero, lives in acommunity where sameness and conformity are valued.Jonas sees thingsdifferently, though, and is chosen to become the one who acts as receptacleand transmitter of the community's collective memory.Jonas receives thesememories/stories from the Giver, someone who currently has the task ofholding memory.One of the questions the book raises in the reader's mindis, "When does a story become MY story?"People in Jonas'community lived without authenticity because the locus of memory wasinstitutionalized within an individual.I couldn't help but think thatVincent, striving for authenticity, wanted to show that those sacredmemories (institutionalized in the Church and in biblical paintings) gavehim "a powerful feeling of collapse instead of progress."For astory (either word or image) to have meaning, it must first connect with anindividual's experience.Vincent Van Gogh, like Jonas, saw thingsdifferently.Both struggled in a world that would have preferred theiracquiesence to the status quo. Dr. Edwards convincingly shows thatVincent imaged God outside the parameters and conventions of the Church. Dr. Edwards suggests that "[p]erhps such profound power revealedthrough one's life task was a more accurate description of the divine thanthe word 'God.' "Another powerful image is "the child in acradle as best evidence for God."As Dr. Edwards points out,"Vincent experiences God in the concreteness of his own most intenseand significant personal history."We all do.Vincent found meaningin his life's work, his care and concern for the prostitute Sien, herdaughter, and newborn son, and also in nature--wheat, flowers, olivegroves, cypress trees. To image and paint a Christ that has no personalconnection is, again, to live inauthentically.It would appear thatVincent would have none of that. One of my favorite parts in Dr. Edwards'book is in the Preface."[M]ost Judeo-Christian scholars...[take] theunyielding position that religion must be expressed primarily as hearingand obeying, and cannot be expressed significantly as seeing and creating. Dr. Edwards shows how Vincent navigated those waters.It gives hope tothose of us who have felt stifled by the Church's insistence thatmemory/story resides within its embrace. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Religious    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Spirituality - General    4. Artists, Architects, Photographers    5. Christian spirituality    6. Gogh, Vincent van    7. Religion: general    8. The Arts: General Issues    9. 1853-1890    10. Religion And Art    11. Religion    12. Gogh, Vincent van,   

Reviews (2)

A wonderful short introduction to Tibetan Buddhism
I'm not a practicing Tibetan Buddhist, but I've acquired a fair amount of knowledge through osmosis:I do volunteer work for a Tibetan refugee relief organization.One slow afternoon in our shop, I picked up this bookto improve my knowledge of the iconography in the graphics we sell, and wasblown away.Not only has the author written a clear, readable explicationof the symbolism, but the book is also a terrific introduction tofundamental Tibetan Buddhist beliefs.The average Tibetan may not be ableto elucidate the intricacies of the sacred texts, or practice the stylizedform of debate that forms an important part of a monk's training.But thebook gives great insight into what this average Tibetan actually believes. Now I feel I have a better understanding of how the Tibetans' Buddhism hassustained them through persecution, exile, and attempts by the Chinesegovernment to stamp out their culture.(And the Fur-Bearing Fish isn't arefugee from a Dr. Seuss book, but a symbol with profound meaning.)Thisis a great little book, and I recommend it enthusiastically.

UNDERSTANDABLE
I'm 52 years old and was fairly smug about what I had learned after 20 years or so of pretty serious reading. Then into my life, through the miracle of "amazon.comm" comes Read more

Subjects:  1. Buddhism    2. Buddhism - General    3. Buddhism - Zen    4. Buddhist art and symbolism    5. China    6. Iconography (Fine Arts)    7. Religion    8. Religion - World Religions    9. Tibet    10. Tibet (China)    11. Religion / Buddhism    12. Tibetan Buddhism   

Reviews (2)

A truly fascinating and marvelously researched book
This book provides the most exhaustive and conclusive research on the relationship of Dionysos and Apollo that I have come across. Many of the sources I examined on the subject are referenced here in Castriota's book, distilling their best elements and elaborating on them to bring out whole new dimensions. His examination of the friezes depicting Apollonian laurel and Dionysian ivy lends excellent evidence to the argument for the gods' complimentary relationship, rather than the foolish Nietzschian ideals of an antagonistic relationship between the two which had tainted so much modern scholarship. For those still stuck on Nietzsche's argument: read this book. I recommend it to anyone looking for a thorough examination of the Apollonian-Dionysian relationship. And all this, dear reader, is only one of the chapters. Pick this up now. Believe me, you won't regret it.

An invaluable book.
There has been a good deal of scholarship in relation to this monument (The Ara Pacis Augustae), but few scholars have spent much time on the extensive vegetal friezes that are at eye-level on all four sides of the altar. Only a handful of scholars have written more extensively on this topic, and have put forth varying and interesting theories about their greater meaning in the context of the altar.David Castriota is one of the most thorough.Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Classic Art    4. Friezes    5. History - General    6. Italy    7. Marble sculpture, Roman    8. Relief (Sculpture), Roman    9. Rome    10. Sculpture    11. Ancient Rome    12. History of art: BCE to c 500 CE, ancient & classical world    13. Religious subjects depicted in art   

Subjects:  1. Calendars & Diaries    2. Hinduism    3. Subjects & Themes - Religious   

Reviews (2)

beautiful and intricate, but....
Most of this coloring book is as wonderful as I expected it to be.I like the selections from the Book of Kells that were chosen to be included, and there's a good variety.The subject matter can't be beat, but I have two small complaints.One, some of the smaller knotwork details are indistinct, even missing.I realize they may be missing in the original, but for a coloring book I really feel they should have been extrapolated for completeness' sake.Second, the Latin script pages aren't translated, and the old calligraphy is hard enough to read that I can't translate them myself.
Color your own Book of Kells at your own kitchen table
"Color Your Own Book of Kells" is my favorite of the Color Your own Art Masterpieces volumes with illustrations rendered by Marty Noble.You know, the "Book of Kells," the famous Celtic book of the Middle Ages, may well be one of the first coloring books, in a manner of speaking.Certainly those illustrations lend themselves to being used for a classy little coloring book a lot better than the artwork of Renoir, Matisse or Cassatt.This book has 30 full-page renderings of saints, members of the Holy Family, Celtic crosses, and other finely detailed animals and Celtic spirits."Color Your Own Book of Kells" would make a nice little gift for any little Irish lad or lass that you might be needing to give a present to in the days to come.Plus, if they have never seen a reproduction of the original (whose illustrations are actually much smaller than what is rendered here), then this will probably motivate them to do so. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Grades 2-3    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Europe - Ireland    4. Games & Activities - General    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Papercrafts - Adult Coloring Books    7. Activity packs    8. Arts & crafts design    9. History of art: c 500 CE to c 1400    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / Activity Books    11. Lettering & calligraphy    12. Religious subjects depicted in art   

Subjects:  1. Art and religion    2. Creativity    3. Reference    4. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    5. Religion And Art    6. Self-Help    7. Spiritual life    8. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    9. Self-Help / Creativity    10. Spirituality   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. History - General    3. Subjects & Themes - Religious    4. Antiques & collectables: books, manuscripts, ephemera & printed matter   

Reviews (5)

The Spiral is a Cosmic Symbol
This book is an in-depth contemplation of the significance of the spiral. It is demonstrated that the spiral in its several forms has been a universal cosmic symbol from earliest human history. Indeed, this book traces the history of its use from stone age cultures, Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Greco Roman world, Islam, India, China, the Jewish world, the Celts, Medieval Europe, the Americas, etc., etc, etc. The reoccurrence of spiral forms in nature, and hence science, is also examined. This is the book I was looking for...
This is the unknown guide I hoped to find, as I searched, looking high and low, in libraries and bookstores. The spiral is partly something visual, and I wanted a book that would understand that and teach both in words and in pictures. The numerous illustrations (100+ pages) in THE MYSTIC SPIRAL are presented on large glossy paper, almost all in color, and are fantastic.The writing in the introduction and long captions, is essentialized, what I believe the author distilled after years of research. Yet it is so provocative!-- it opens the mind's eye to leap into exceedingly refreshing ideas.Here is the opening 2-sentence paragraph... Not quite what I had in mind.....
I had had the impression this book would have more text addressing the spiral and its spiritual symbolism, with illustrations throughout. Instead, the book had a brief 30 page introduction with page after page of various artworks that feature a spiral somewhere in their design. I found the pictures to be poorly notated and wished that each photo had a more in-depth discussion to accompany it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comparative Religion    2. Miscellanea    3. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    4. Reincarnation    5. Religion And Art    6. Spirals    7. Mind, body, spirit: mysticism & self-awareness    8. The Arts   

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Arts In General (Multi-Subject)    3. Hispanic American art    4. History    5. History - Prehistoric & Primitive    6. New Mexico    7. Religion    8. Religion And Art    9. Santos (Art)    10. Religion: general    11. The Arts: General Issues   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Christian art and symbolism    4. Christianity - Theology - General    5. Europe - Italy    6. History - General    7. Italy    8. Medieval Art    9. Medieval, 500-1500    10. Relief (Sculpture), Italian    11. Relief (Sculpture), Medieval    12. Sculpture    13. Tuscany    14. Architecture / History    15. Art and Architecture    16. European History    17. History of art: c 500 CE to c 1400    18. Religious buildings    19. Religious subjects depicted in art    20. Sculpture & other three-dimensional art forms    21. c 1000 CE to c 1500   

Reviews (2)

Perfect for the non-liturgical church
I have been creating banners with designs from this book for several years, learning as I go. Though we are not a liturgical church, the banners follow the "church year" and would be well suited to a more formal church as well. For others in more contemporary settings such as ours, there are many usable designs to fit various size spaces. The design elements include graphics with a brief text; the purpose being to provoke thought. I would certainly recommend this as a very usable tool.

Stick figures and alphabets
What a pathetic book!Nothing but stick figures and scripture on banners.Absolutely no designs to work with.Anybody can cut out and glue words to fabric!The large pictures in the first half of the book are duplicated in smaller print in the second half.I wasted my money. Don't waste yours!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christian art and symbolism    2. Christianity - Church Admin. - Program Resources    3. Church Supplies    4. Church pennants    5. Devotional    6. Religion   

Reviews (2)

Good, but should be seen as one resource among many other extant introductions
Michel Quenot's THE ICON: Window on the Kingdom, translated into English by an anonymous Carthusian monk, is a concise introduction to the iconography of the Orthodox Church. Since its topic is images, it contains many figures, most of which come in gorgeous full colour.
A short masterpiece
This book manages to deal with the theology, the history, the technique and the underlying philosophy of icon painting in a deceptively short number of pages. The author is a linguist who has closely studied his subject over many years. He wears his scholarship lightly. Perhaps out of respect for his subject he avoids any hint of egotism, prefering to quote from a wide range of authors ranging from the earliest days of Christianity down to the present day. His ostensibly modest comments, aparently centered on the icon, widen out into a critique of modern life and how it may be refocused through the contemplation of the spiritual perspective on which the icon is alone based.
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Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Christianity - General    3. Christianity and art    4. Cult    5. Doctrines    6. General    7. Icon painting    8. Iconography (Fine Arts)    9. Icons    10. Orthodox Eastern Church    11. Religion    12. Orthodox Churches   

Reviews (1)

Surveys two thousand years of the diverse Christian movement
The Story Of Christian Spirituality surveys two thousand years of the diverse Christian movement, with its evolving history and theology in terms of the spiritual heritage of the Christian faith, from East to West. The contributors present a full, fascinating, and informative portrait of humanity's desire for the dive across the centuries. The Story Of Christian Spirituality highlights the contributions of key individuals as they explored the ways in which Christians from earliest times to the present day sought to express and live out the deepest truths of their faith. A variety of traditions are showcased including the early church fathers, the Celts and Anglo-Saxons, the saints and mystics of the Medieval Wet, the Eastern traditions, the Russian contributions, the Protestant tradition in Europe, the Catholic saints and Reformers, the Anglicans, the Protestant tradition in America, and the 20th century international profusion of spiritualities arising from Christian traditions and innovations. Superbly and beautifully illustrated throughout, The Story Of Christian Spirituality is a remarkable and highly acclaimed addition to any personal, church, seminary, academic, or community library collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christian Life    2. Christianity    3. Christianity - Christian Life - General    4. Christianity - History - General    5. Church History    6. Religion    7. Religion - Church History    8. Spiritual life    9. Spirituality - General    10. Subjects & Themes - Religious    11. Religion & Beliefs   

Subjects:  1. 1441?-1523    2. 1441?-1523.    3. Antichrist in art    4. Art    5. Criticism and interpretation    6. General    7. History - General History    8. History - Renaissance    9. Individual Painters - Renaissance    10. Rule of Antichrist    11. Signorelli, Luca,    12. Subjects & Themes - Religious    13. Art / History / General    14. Art and Architecture    15. European History    16. Individual artists    17. Italy    18. Painting & paintings    19. Religious subjects depicted in art    20. Renaissance art    21. Signorelli, Luca   

Reviews (1)

An art historian unravels a Buddhist mystery
The best books make us think, by showing relationships between realms we had not thought connected.Just so, Jacquelynn Baas breaks new ground in SMILE OF THE BUDDHA: EASTERN PHILOSOPHY AND WESTERN ART FROM MONET TO TODAY.
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Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. 20th century    3. Art    4. Art and philosophy    5. Arts, Modern    6. Buddhist influences    7. Criticism    8. Europe    9. General    10. History - General    11. History - Modern (Late 19th Century to 1945)    12. Religion - Contemporary Issues    13. Religion - Socialissues    14. Art / General    15. History of art & design styles: c 1800 to c 1900    16. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    17. Religious subjects depicted in art   

Reviews (1)

Delightful Contemporary Read
I adore the Divine Comedy-- and all of the Modern Library translations of the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. I tried out these books by Sandow Birk and Marcus Sanders because they looked appealing. They're definitely great reads. No, they're not perfect, and some of it is a little strange to read, but overall, I think you can't really go wrong in trying them out. It keeps all of Dante's main points, it just presents them in a different, more modern way. Anyone interested in Dante's work, would should at least read these for experimentation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Continental European    2. General    3. Heaven    4. Photography    5. Poetry    6. Subjects & Themes - Religious    7. Italian    8. Literary studies: general    9. Poetry / General    10. Poetry texts & anthologies   

Reviews (1)

Lots of info in few pages (96)
I was looking for a book of the whole area of Christian symbols, and this book covers a good section of it (though not as exhaustive as I need).There are 31 pages of about four entries per page showing in black and white line drawing the emblems of saints and also a brief paragraph identifying the saint and significance of the parts of the emblem.There are only seven pages of symbols for God, Holy Spirit, and Jesus, with many more symbols and much less background info.Five pages of crosses with names only, and four pages of 32 plants and their symbolism.All of this is rather impressive, however I am frustrated with the five pages of Old Testament Symbols that have no explaination.All-in-all, if you want lots of saints' emblems this is the book for you, and if you were looking for what I was, this is a great starting point.There is no formal bibliography, but there is a list of sources used in the acknowledgments. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christian art and symbolism    2. Christianity - General    3. Christianity - History - Protestant    4. Education    5. Religion - Church History    6. Architecture    7. Religion & Beliefs