Do you ever look at a painting and think, What does this mean?
The Art of Faith answers this question again and again, with insight, wit, and verve, offering 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.
The Art of Faith: A Guide to Understanding Christian Images by Judith Couchman
Paraclete Press ~ $22.99 ~ www.paracletepress.com ~ 304 pages ~ ISBN 9781557256300
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.
The Art of Faith: A Guide to Understanding Christian Images by Judith Couchman
Paraclete Press ~ $22.99 ~ www.paracletepress.com ~ 304 pages ~ ISBN 9781557256300
Praise for The Art of Faith
“Prompted by the conviction that attention to images can enrich the life of the spirit, Couchman has produced an enormously useful and beautifully written resource for beginners and experts alike. This work is permeated with the love of art that has been enlivened by a deep faith.” ~ Robin Margaret Jensen, Professor of the History of Christian Art and Worship, Vanderbilt University; Author, Understanding Early Christian Art and The Substance of Things Seen: Art, Faith, and the Christian Community
“Couchman offers a readable and user-friendly guide to deciphering and interpreting Christian visual art. She is rightly keen to meet the urgent need for a new depth of theological vision in the church and beyond.” ~ Jeremy Begbie, Duke Divinity School; Author of Voicing Creation’s Praise: Towards a Theology of the Arts
“In recent years we have witnessed renewed interest in the visual arts, across a broad range of denominations. . . . With this encouraging opportunity comes a considerable challenge: the need for renewed understanding of the rich heritage of Christian art and symbols that, in our secular age, has been mostly lost. Judith Couchman’s well-researched and thoughtfully conceived book meets that need and offers practical help to those who are about the work of returning the gift of art to the Church.” ~ Cameron J. Anderson, Executive Director, CIVA, Christians in the Visual Arts
“Packed full of information, lucidly written, and clearly laid out. If you have a question about the meaning of something in a work of Christian art, this book probably has an answer. A must-have reference on Christian art for teachers and students alike.”
~ Aidan Hart, Iconographer and Assistant Illustrator for The Saint John’s Bible; Author, Techniques of Icon and Wall Painting
“Couchman offers a history of images in Christian art that we can assimilate into our own work. A must read for students of the Bible whatever your outlet for creativity.”
~ Gary Bradley, Gallery Owner; International Director, Viva Affirmativa, an International Arts Movement
“This delightful volume opens for the reader the beauty and meaning of Christian art through the centuries. It teaches us a whole new vocabulary, a language of colors and forms, and equips us to take part in the faith of Christian artists of every century and continent, who worship the Lord in beauty and truth.” ~ Frederica Mathewes-Green, Author, The Open Door and The Jesus Prayer
“Where was this book when I was an art student in college? In great detail, Judith Couchman gives the reader an opportunity to trace sacred art from the third century forward. She explains the figures and their contribution to beauty. Judith also teaches us what questions to ask as we view Christian art today, making what we’re seeing more personal. In other words, the study of art as it relates to faith becomes accessible because we understand what we’re looking at and that understanding makes us want to share it with everyone we know.” ~ Luci Swindoll, Author, Simple Secrets to a Happy Life
“Judith Couchman’s The Art of Faith is an invaluable reference tool and museum companion for anyone with an intense interest in Christian art. Old and New Testament biblical characters and other personages from the world of faith are sorted out. Symbols and the use of colors are explicated and the church year is made clear. But this only touches the surface, because the heart of the book as a reference tool is found in the great art that is cited. Each person, symbol, color, and sacrament is paired with an example from art history and where it can be found. These examples are drawn from the rich storehouse of Christian art in museums, both great and small, churches, libraries, and even the catacombs: anywhere one might find the best that Christian art, from its beginnings through the seventeenth century, has to offer. These examples number into the hundreds. And yet the book is accessible for those with only a cursory question as well as for those with more scholarly concerns. For those of us who work professionally with Christian iconography in the
twenty-first century, The Art of Faith is a book to keep close at hand.”
~ Edward Knippers, Visual Artist
