Secular Art with Sacred Themes

Résumé du livre

"Since the age of its great secular power, the church has had little part in commissioning or inspiring works of fine art. Recently, however, knowledgeable churchmen and theologians have come to question the church's lack of initaitive in this area. Jane Dillenberger is one of these questioners. In this book she reveals that much of the best of twientieth-century art has a deep and directly religious basis. Beginning with a brief orientation, Mrs. Dilenberger moves immediately to an examination of paintings and sculpture of Derain, Chagall, Manzu, Picasso, and Newman. A selection of their works is studied in depth, revealing their richness and complexity as expressions of the religious consciousness of our times. The reader's attention is directed to the art while the text is an invitation to a thoughtful exploration of form, subject matter, symbolism, and history. Over fifty photographs focus in the works themselves, allowing the reader to check the descriptions, affirmations, and questions of the text against the evidence of his own eyes and sensitiveness. A beautiful and helpful book which leads to a more sophisticated and realistic understanding of the complex relationship between contemporary art and the modern church" - Publisher.