Christian Art: A Very Short Introduction
E-Book: 145 English pages
Publisher: OUP
Download: Christian Art: A Very Short Introduction (
This Very Short Introduction decodes the key themes, signs, and symbols found in Christian art: the Eucharist, the image of the Crucifixion, the Virgin Mary, the Saints, Old and New Testament narrative imagery, and iconography. It also explores the theological and historical background of Christian imagery, from the devotional works of the Medieval and Renaissance periods, to the twenty-first century.
Williamson uses examples from, amongst others, Cimabue, Michelangelo, and Rosetti. She concludes by outlining the co-existence in contemporary ‘post-Christian’ culture of the deliberately controversial works of artists such as Andres Serrano and Chris Ofili, alongside the consciously devotional works of those such as Eric Gill and Peter Blake.
Review
“Another in an excellent and sensible series of paperbacks explaining clearly and with verve subjects that may be off the map for many of us but can be put right with a small book that doesn’t make the subject simple–just interesting and understandable….Williamson clearly leads us through the medieval and renaissance periods to our modern art period.”
—Hamilton Spectator
About the Author
Beth Williamson is Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Bristol.