Art
Showing all 28 results
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God In The Modern Wing
$30.99Add to cartShould Christians even bother with the modern wing at the art museum? After all, modern art and artists are often caricatured as rabidly opposed to God, the church-indeed, to faith of any kind. But is that all there is to the story?
In this Studies in Theology and the Arts volume, coeditors Cameron J. Anderson and G. Walter Hansen gather the reflections of artists, art historians, and theologians who collectively offer a more complicated narrative of the history of modern art and its place in the Christian life. Here, readers will find insights on the work and faith of artists including Marc Chagall, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, and more.
For those willing to look with eyes of faith, they may just find that God is present in the modern wing too.
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Teaching Art In The Primary Grades
$24.99Add to cartEverything needed to structure and teach an effective art program for grades one to three is made simple for the home-school parent or teacher.
This step-by-step process for teaching art is perfect for home-school teachers or parents with limited art skills or time to create their own programs. This system of insight, responses to judgments, ideas, and feelings aligns with public school and state visual arts requirements.
Teaching Art in the Primary Grades is designed to foster lifelong interest in the arts, provide a gauge of what can be expected of children at various ages and grade levels, and present a baseline for measuring growth and skill.
Lesson plans with goals, objects, time frames, techniques, steps, illustrated examples, and assessment of growth are included.
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Redeeming Transcendence In The Arts
$26.99Add to cartHow can the arts witness to the transcendence of the Christian God?
It is widely believed that there is something transcendent about the arts, that they can awaken a profound sense of awe, wonder, and mystery, of something “beyond” this world. Many argue that this opens up fruitful opportunities for conversation with those who may have no use for conventional forms of Christianity.Jeremy Begbie-a leading voice on theology and the arts-in this book employs a biblical, trinitarian imagination to show how Christian involvement in the arts can (and should) be shaped by a vision of God’s transcendence revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. After critiquing some current writing on the subject, he goes on to offer rich resources to help readers engage constructively with the contemporary cultural moment even as they bear witness to the otherness and uncontainability of the triune God of love.
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In The Beauty Of Holiness
$75.99Add to cartBeautifully illustrated work from an eminent authority on the Bible, art, and culture
Beauty is a highly significant subject in the Bible. So is holiness. In this study of Christian fine art David Lyle Jeffrey explores the relationship between beauty and holiness as he integrates aesthetic perspectives from the ancient Hebrew Scriptures through Augustine, Aquinas, and Kant down to contemporary philosophers of art.
Incorporating sample artworks ranging from the Roman catacombs to Marc Chagall, Jeffrey demonstrates that the Bible has consistently been the most profound and productive resource for the visual arts in the West. He contextualizes Western European art from the second century through the twenty-first in relation not only to the biblical narrative but also to liturgy and historical theology.
Lavishly illustrated with more than one hundred masterworks, In the Beauty of Holiness is ideally suited to students of Christian fine art and to general readers wanting to better understand the story of Christian art through the centuries.
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Contemporary Art And The Church
$30.99Add to cartThe church and the contemporary art world often find themselves in an uneasy relationship in which misunderstanding and mistrust abound. On one hand, the leaders of local congregations, seminaries, and other Christian ministries often don’t know what to make of works by contemporary artists. Not only are these artists mostly unknown to church leaders, they and their work often lead them to regard the world of contemporary art with indifference, frustration, or even disdain. On the other hand, many artists lack any meaningful experience with the contemporary church and are mostly ignorant of its mission. Not infrequently, these artists regard religion as irrelevant to their work, are disinclined to trust the church and its leaders, and have experienced personal rejection from these communities. In response to this situation, the 2015 biennial conference of Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) facilitated a conversation between these two worlds. The present volume gathers together essays and reflections by artists, theologians, and church leaders as they sought to explore misperceptions, create a hospitable space to learn from each other, and imagine the possibility of a renewed and mutually fruitful relationship. Contemporary Art and the Church seeks common ground for the common good of both the church and the contemporary art world.
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Culture Care : Reconnecting With Beauty For Our Common Life
$20.99Add to cartForeword By Mark Labberton
Preface
1. On Becoming Generative
2. Culture Care Defined
3. Black River, Cracked Lands
4. From Culture Wars To A Common Life
5. Soul Care
6. Beauty As Food For The Soul
7. Leadership From The Margins
8. “Tell ’em About The Dream!”
9. Two Lives At The Margins
10. Our Calling In The Starry Night
11. Opening The Gates
12. Cultivating Cultural Soil
13. Cultural Estuaries
14. Custodians Of Culture Care
15. Business Care
16. Practical Advice For Artists
17. Tilling Our Cultural Soil In The Age Of Anxiety
18. New Vocabularies, New Stories
19. What If?
A Gratuitous Postscript
Discussion GuideAdditional Info
Culture is not a territory to be won or lost but a resource we are called to steward with care. Culture is a garden to be cultivated. Many bemoan the decay of culture. But we all have a responsibility to care for culture, to nurture it in ways that help people thrive. In Culture Care artist Makoto Fujimura issues a call to cultural stewardship, in which we become generative and feed our culture’s soul with beauty, creativity, and generosity. We serve others as cultural custodians of the future. This is a book for artists, but artists come in many forms. Anyone with a calling to create-from visual artists, musicians, writers, and actors to entrepreneurs, pastors, and business professionals-will resonate with its message. This book is for anyone with a desire or an artistic gift to reach across boundaries with understanding, reconciliation, and healing. It is a book for anyone with a passion for the arts, for supporters of the arts, and for “creative catalysts” who understand how much the culture we all share affects human thriving today and shapes the generations to come. Culture Care includes a study guide for individual reflection or group discussion. -
Imagine : A Vision For Christians In The Arts (Expanded)
$20.99Add to cartImagine art that is risky, complex, and subtle. Imagine music, movies, books, and paintings of the highest quality. Imagine art that permeates society, challenging conventional thinking and standard morals to their core. Imagine that it is all created by Christians! This is the bold vision of Steve Turner, who has worked among a wide variety of artists for decades. He believes Christians should confront society and the church using art’s powerful impact. Art can faithfully chronicle the lives of ordinary people and express the transcendence of God. And Christians should be involved in every level of the art world and in every medium. In this revised and expanded edition of a contemporary classic, Turner builds a compelling case for Christians in the arts. If Jesus is Lord of all of life and creation, then art is part of his cultural mandate. It can and should be a way of expressing faith through creatively, beautifully and truthfully arranged words, sounds, and sights.
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Silence And Beauty
$20.00Add to cartIntroduction: A Pilgrimage
1. A Journey Into Silence: Pulverization
2. A Culture Of Beauty: Cultural Context For Silence
3. Ambiguity And Faith: Japan, The Ambiguous And Myself
4. Ground Zero
5. Fumi-e Culture
6. Hidden Faith Revealed
7. The Redemption Of Father Rodrigues
8. The Aroma: Toward An Antidote To Trauma
9. Mission Beyond The Waves
Appendix 1: Endo And Kawabata
Appendix 2: Endo And Graham Greene
Appendix 3: Kenzaburo Oe’s Ambiguous Japan
Notes
Glossary Of Japanese Terms
Author Index
Subject Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
Shusaku Endo’s novel Silence, first published in 1966, endures as one of the greatest works of twentieth-century Japanese literature. Its narrative of the persecution of Christians in seventeenth-century Japan raises uncomfortable questions about God and the ambiguity of faith in the midst of suffering and hostility. Endo’s Silence took internationally renowned visual artist Makoto Fujimura on a pilgrimage of grappling with the nature of art, the significance of pain and his own cultural heritage. His artistic faith journey overlaps with Endo’s as he uncovers deep layers of meaning in Japanese history and literature, expressed in art both past and present. He finds connections to how faith is lived in contemporary contexts of trauma and glimpses of how the gospel is conveyed in Christ-hidden cultures. In this world of pain and suffering, God often seems silent. Fujimura’s reflections show that light is yet present in darkness, and that silence speaks with hidden beauty and truth. -
Eyes To See
$18.95Add to cartWritten by a Protestant for a non-Orthodox readership
* Includes full-color images of eight icons
* Strong potential for group study
Eyes to See: The Redemptive Purpose of Icons offers the discovery of life-giving
spiritual insights found through learning to read the language of religious icons. Written
especially for those whose traditions have not included icons, this book introduces eight
icons written (painted) by the author. Historical notes, explanation of symbolism, related
scriptures for interpretation, and a reflection for each icon deepens understanding and
appreciation for the ancient holy images of the Church.
The book is eight chapters in length, each describing one of the eight full-color icon
plates in the insert.For individuals and study groups, plus those with interests in iconography.
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Christ : The Miracle Worker In Early Christian Art
$39.00Add to cartAcknowledgements
Abbreviations
1. Introduction
2. Healing, Miracle, And Magic In Non-Christian Sources
3. Healing And Miracles In Early Christian Writings
4. Images Of Christ Healing
5. Images Of Christ Rasing The Dead
6. The Nature Miracles Of Christ
7. The Staff Of Jesus
8. Conclusion
Appendix Of Images
Bibliography
IndexAdditional Info
Artistic representations were of significant value to early Christian communities. In Christ the Miracle Worker in Early Christian Art, Lee Jefferson argues that images provided visual representations of vital religious and theological truths crucial to the faithful and projected concepts beyond the limitations of the written and spoken word. Images of Christ performing miracles or healings functioned as advertisements for Christianity and illustrated the nature of Christ. Using these images of Christ, Jefferson examines the power of art, its role in fostering devotion, and the deep connection between art and its elucidation of pivotal theological claims. -
Art Of Faith
$24.99Add to cartHave you stood in front of a painting and thought, What does this mean?
The Art of Faith answers this question again and again, with insight, wit, and verve, providing a thorough reference to Christian art through the centuries. Practical and easy to read, this book unfolds the ancient world of Christian images for believers who want to enrich their faith, college students studying art history, and travelers to religious sites. With this book in hand, you can visit museums, churches, or other sacred places and identify a work of art’s style and meaning. Or even explore the signs and symbols of your local church.
Whatever your relationship to art or Christianity, open this book when you’re curious about a painting, sculpture, symbol, or other sacred work. It will answer your questions about The Art of Faith.
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Awakening The Creative Spirit
$27.95Add to cartThe new resource is designed to help spiritual directors and others use expressive arts in the context of spiritual direction. It is the latest book in the unique SDI series, designed for professional spiritual directors, but also useful for clergy, therapists, and Christian formation specialists.
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Crucifixions And Resurrections Of The Image
$35.99Add to cartGeorge Pattison offers theological reflections on a range of works of art and films which have attracted wide discussion such as Anthony Gormley’s ‘Angel of the North’. Pattison takes seriously the modernist movement in art and constitutes an argument for its continuing relevance. The book centres on artists active in the mid- to late twentieth century, whose work reflects both the cultural and social crises of that era – Beuys, Rothko, Kiefer, Natkin and film directors such as Bergman and Tarkovksy. The studies are contextualized in broader reflections on modern art that suggest ‘the death of God’ as a motif that links theology and modern art itself. This enables a Christian theological engagement with works that often appear alien or even hostile to Christian faith. George Pattison takes the secular seriously in its own right, arguing that both secular art and theological reflection are often different but related responses to a common existential situation.
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Another Brush With God
$34.95Add to cartIntroduces readers to a more advanced level in icon development, exploring more complex imagery and skills
Step-by-step instructions for painting icons, from original drawings through finished product
Includes eight full-color plates of the author’s original iconsThis is the sequel to the author’s previous work, A Brush with God, for advanced beginners, intermediate, and advanced iconographers. It presents greater detail and instructions for creating entirely new icons. One major feature of the new book is the full-page sketches that artists can photocopy and use as the basis of their own icons, providing a unique and much-requested resource.
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Saints Signs And Symbols (Expanded)
$25.95Add to cartExpanded new edition of a popular, best-selling resource for artists and Christian educators
Author is accomplished liturgical artist who attends many major religion trade exhibits
Complete guide to the symbols of the Church, with attractive design and many illustrationsThis thoroughly updated and comprehensive new edition enhances the well-loved and often-used earlier work as a guide to symbolism in Christian liturgical art, architecture, manuscripts, stained glass, and more.
The new book is more heavily pictorial in an effort to provide an even stronger resource for artists and researchers, as well as the general browsing public. It addresses the rich history of Christian symbolism, presented for the 21st century reader.
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How Postmodernism Serves My Faith
$32.99Add to cartCan Christians learn from postmodern thinkers and their critique of modernism? Crystal L. Downing introduces students (especially those in the arts) to postmoderism: where it came from, and how Christians can best understand, critique and benefit from its insights. She believes that the challenges, questions and insights of postmodernism can contribute to a deeper and clearer grasp of our faith. She thinks so because, beginning as a graduate student, she explored the best of postmodern thought and came out thankful for it. Through honest engagement, Downing seeks to guide students along a path that will ultimately strengthen their faith.
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Windows Into The Soul
$17.95Add to cartWorking with clay, paint, crayons, or pencils, artists have long known that the act of creating art can help people explore the deepest recesses of their hearts – and bring about real change in their lives. Michael Sullivan discovered the power of art for himself in the midst of grieving the loss of a young parishoner. Ever since, he has been using simple art projects as a form of prayer and a way of helping others explore what God may be saying to them.
This book is a practical resource for those who want to explore this means of prayer and contemplation for themselves. Readers will find projects in various media, including clay, charcoal, and acrylic, as well as technical directions and a gentle guide to the spiritual gold to be mined from the experience.
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Brush With God
$27.95Add to cartFor more than a thousand years, Eastern Christians have used their hands and hearts to create icons, proclaiming God’s reality in a visible?and breathtakingly beautiful?way. This ancient art is enjoying a renewed interest in the West, as people of faith create icons and use them to meditate on mysteries for which there are no words. A Brush With God is a guide to painting icons and using them in prayer. Written with warmth and energy, it describes the history of icons and examines why they?ve been a spiritual tool for so many centuries. Written from a uniquely Western perspective, the book guides artists?from novices to professionals?through the process of icon painting, using traditional techniques but employing contemporary materials. Included are eight full-color plates of the artist’s icons.
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Substance Of Things Seen
$23.99Add to cartWhile the average person rarely sees it, the visual arts play a subtle yet profound role in the teaching and formation of faith, both for individuals and religious communities. The Substance of Things Seen explores the intersection of art and faith, offering thoughtful reflections on the way art functions in Christian life and practice.
Highly readable and featuring instructive illustrations, this book is meant to engage church leaders as well as artists in constructive conversation about the critical role that art can play in the renewal of Christian education, worship, and study. It also challenges anyone who thinks the arts are only of marginal importance to the religious life. Robin Jensen considers here a broad range of topics relevant to Christian faith and culture, including the construction of sacred space, the use of art in worship and spiritual formation, the way that visual art interprets sacred texts, and the power and danger of art from a historical and contemporary perspective.
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Creative Call : An Artists Response To The Way Of The Spirit
$19.00Add to cartPerhaps you’re a “closet writer” who’s been scribbling in journals for years. Maybe you once had a passion for playing the piano or violin–a passion that is still flickering somewhere deep inside you. You may have a knack for photography, drawing, gardening, cooking, or some other creative gift. Or you may long to express yourself creatively, but have yet to discover your unique talents.
Your creativity was meant be used. Whether you are an artist who has already identified your gifts or you believe that you have artistic talent that has never been developed, working through this book will help you grow closer to becoming the person God has designed you to be.
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Art In Action
$29.99Add to cartThis book offers a fine general introduction to the theory of art, and it also presents one of the most interesting statements of recent years regarding th special perspectives that may be cast upon the issues of aesthetics from the standpoint of the Christian theology. It is a cogently argued and splendidly written book which deserves to be widely read.