Reviews (6)

Size Matters -- Art Books Should Be This BIG
When it comes to Tibetan Buddhist art, size matters... especially when there are many "things" as what you would find in mandalas.

This book is big and heavy. The paper quality is good and almost all pictures are full-page size, which makes them suitable for framing.

If you love Tibetan Buddhist art, you will love this book and find that it is worth the price.

My Personal Favorite Priceless Book!
Someone suggested I purchase this book, so I ordered it through Amazon.com but had never anticipated its magnificence! For one thing, it is HUGE and a work of art! I have had this for a year now and I still treasure it. One afternoon, I had a Buddhist monk as guest and remembered to show this intricately jeweled book to him. We had a wonderful hour together going over the illumined detail on these pages of mandalas. Who is this wonderful artist Romio Shrestha, we thought? The text especially written by Deepak Chopra for this large book throughoutits chapters in large print make for a nice tapestry of inspired thought-sharing and insight into the Wheel of Life and Man's dual nature. This is a real museum piece and well worth the price tag!

Excellent
The size of this book makes it awkward at first to use and behold. However, once you open it and stare at the beautiful full-page paintings on high-quality glossy paper, you begin to admire it and rever it. The quantity of paintings included also outweigh the cost of the book.

Anyone interested in buddhist thangkas and paintings will treasure this hardcover book for the rest of their lives.

Spectacular!
Spectacular! A masterpiece of contemporary Buddhist Tantric Art. The detail of these images are incredible, I have seen nothing-comparable even among the traditional Tibetan paintings. Kudos to the artists and authors for a visual feast! I would trade all my coveted Buddhist paintings (Thankas) for just one contained in this volume.

absolutely stunning
It is impossible to exaggerate the exceptional quality and size of these images. These qualities along with the commentary make this a treasure. ... Read more

Book Description

Two images of Andy Warhol exist in the popular press: the Pope of Pop of the Sixties, and the partying, fright-wigged Andy of the Seventies. In the two years before he died, however, Warhol made over 100 paintings, drawings, and prints based on Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. The dramatic story of these works is told in this book for the first time.Revealed here is the part of Andy Warhol that he kept very secret: his lifelong church attendance and his personal piety. Art historian and curator Jane Daggett Dillenberger explores the sources and manifestations of Warhol's spiritual side, the manifestations of which are to be found in the celebrated paintings of the last decade of Warhol's life: his Skull paintings, the prints based on Renaissance religious artwork, the Cross paintings, and the large series based on The Last Supper. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A "must" for all Warhol fans
In The Religious Art Of Andy Warhol, art historian and curator Jane Dillenberger explores the sources and manifestations of the controversial pop-artist's spiritual side as revealed through his work. Especially his Skill paintings, the Warhol prints based on Renaissance religious artwork, his Cross paintings, and the large Warhol series based on "The Last Supper". Warhol grew up on a Slovakian ghetto of Pittsburgh and experienced the elaborate and colorful rituals of the Byzantine Catholic Church. These influences also included his devout mother with whom he lived some forty of his fifty-eight years. The Religious Art Of Andy Warhol is a "must" for all Warhol fans, as well as students of 20th century American art. ... Read more

Book Description

"Blessed Art Thou: Mother, Lady, Mystic, Queen" features vibrant contemporary art of the Virgin Mary by renowned artist, painter, and author Michael O’Neill McGrath, OSFS, of Washington D.C., along with prayers written by Richard Fragomeni, priest of the diocese of Albany, New York and associate professor of Word and Worship at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.Brother Mickey also contributes his own writings and reflection that inspired the creation of each of the individual works in the book.The book is not only a beautiful addition to a library and art collection but one that can be utilized to aid in ones own prayer, imagery and reflection.

The original paintings were created with acrylic paint on watercolor paper, creating a soft yet vibrant color effect, and then beautifully reproduced and artfully integrated with the text and prayers. Many of the paintings in the collection are the result of McGrath's loving fascination with black pilgrimage Madonnas.Mary is presented throughout as an inclusive and unifying figure in an increasingly diverse church.

The titles in the book which inspired each of the paintings are from the Litany ofLoreto, one of the oldest prayers of the Catholic Church, and passed down through the ages from sources like scripture’s Song of Songs and the Agathistos (a Greek litany dating from the sixth century). These 20 images celebrate various loving and reverent names for Mary: Our Mother, Our Lady, Our Mystic, Our Queen. ... Read more

Book Description

More and more churches are bringing works of art into their buildings in order to enhance their worship and provide a focus for prayer and reflection. Art and Worship explores the relationship between religion and the visual arts and provides advice on how to commission works of art, how to place them, and how to hold art exhibitions in church.

In Art and Worship, Anne Dawtry and Christopher Irvine survey the theological agenda for art and the Church. The authors also explore the need for communication between the Church and artists and for skill and sensitivity to the artistic dimension of worship. Art and Worship offers practical examples in commissioning works of art and shows how worship itself is art, a creative expression of our adoration and praise of God.

Chapter one summarizes issues concerning the place of art in the Church. Chapter two offers a brief history of art in the Church. Chapters three and four suggest the type of conversations that artists and church people should engage in. Chapter five focuses on the relationship of art to worship. Chapter six discusses legal ramifications that congregations face when renovating churches.

Chapters are "Introduction: Looking and Seeking," "The Theological Agenda for Art and the Church," "A Brief History of Art in Church," "Encounter and Communication in Placing Art in Churches," "Viewing Art," "The Art of Worship," and "Legalities, Practicalities and Other Resources." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The details of His death begin, the corpse must come down.
This collection has four books (Annunciation, Last Supper, Crucifixion, Descent) which will be a treasure to all those who love great art, and especially those attracted to religious art. Each book is beautifully bound in its own brilliant metallic color: gold, silver, bronze and copper. The unique size and color of the books make this set aesthetically pleasing. It is a wonderful collection to display on any shelf. The prints, more than 100 in each book, are of superb quality. Phaidon, the publisher, is recognized for excellence and elegance in all their printing. There is scant text; each book has a New Testament scriptural preface, then a brief caption accompanies each image.

As the titles project, a central event in Christ's life is elucidated by the world's best artistic Masters; each brings their own commentary to the selected Christological theme. Most enjoyable, and educational, is the progression through time, starting with early art pieces and finishing with contemporary masters. From beginning to end, each book is a wonderful journey through time.

"Descent" dramatizes the removal of Christ's corpse from the cross. Hope has ended in despair and the darkest hour now was upon those waiting at the foot of the cross: Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene, Mary - mother of Jesus, and John the Beloved. The details of His death begin. The corpse must come down, and along with the dreams of His followers, be buried. No angels, no auras of light, no evidence of divine intervention is found in these 100 plus images. Rather, each artist throughout the ages illuminates the nightmarish reality of the demise of Christ. When you view 'Descent' you will notice that there is a period of history, starting around the Renaissance to the end of the 17th Century, when the Masters grasped this moment and prolifically paint the removal of Christ from the cross. Outstanding paintings from the time of Sodoma (c.1505) through Jean-Baptiste Jouvenet (c.1697) fill the largest portion of this book. Having gone through these four volumes it is my hope that Phaidon will continue this collection. To stop now and not give us the burial, resurrection and the ascension would be a great disappointment. This is a collection that I will treasure. The quality of binding, paper, color reproduction and selection of prints is superb. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Here is a practical guide to help you create beautiful and expressive processional banners for use in the liturgy, Sunday by Sunday, throughout the seasons of the church’s year. You’ll also find guidance on using banners in the celebrations of baptism, confirmation, first communion, marriage and ordination, as well as on other special occasions in the life of the parish.

In this book you will learn:
• how and why to use banners in the liturgy’s processions
• the meaning and poetry of the liturgy’s calendar and the sacraments’ rituals
• elements of good banner design
• how to make both ribbon and quilted banners

Banner artists Pamela T. Hardiman and Josephine Niemann combine just the right amount of theory with step-by-step instructions to aid the novice and delight the practiced artist. Along with detailed patterns and how-to instructions for creating different types of banners, an appendix includes more than 40 full-color photographs of beautiful banners to inspire your own efforts. This book is a great resource for environment and art committees, liturgy boards, artists and anyone who wants to adorn the assembly and its liturgy with vibrant, beautiful art.

Paperback, 8 1/2 x 11, 175 pages. ... Read more

Book Description

In the works of many famous self-taught artists, such as Howard Finster and Sister Gertrude Morgan, Biblical themes and imagery abound. How has the Bible inspired these Southern creators?

Examining 125 works of art by more than seventy contemporary folk artists, Coming Home! Self-Taught Artists, the Bible, and the American South accompanies a traveling exhibition organized by the Art Museum of the University of Memphis. The exhibition features painters and sculptors of wide acclaim, including Finster, Sister Morgan, William Edmondson, Clementine Hunter, Joe Minter Elijah Pierce, Robert Roberg, William Thomas Thompson, and Myrtice West.

In the South, Evangelical Christianity is predominant. Essays in this catalog explore this particular religious influence on the work of Southern self-taught artists. The artwork is considered within the context of contemporary American art and history, literature, and music. Also included are brief essays on thirty-two of the artists along with biographical sketches of each, identifying denominational ties and providing relevant religious information.

Coming Home! offers new ways of understanding the rich meaning, theology, and history of this art and its stylistic approaches and various purposes. Essayists also forward a fresh appreciation of the cultural influence of Evangelical Christianity. They include Carol Crown, Erika Doss, Hal Fulmer, Norman Girardot, Paul Harvey, Babatunde Lawal, Leslie Luebbers, Cheryl Rivers, and Charles Reagan Wilson. ... Read more

Book Description

This richly illustrated volume is a study of the temples created in East Java between the tenth and sixteenth centuries, filling an important scholarly lacuna. The arts of Central Java, home of the great Buddhist monument, Borobudur, and Hindu Prambanan, have been given thorough scholarly attention. The architectural and sculptural treasures of the East Javanese kingdoms of Kadiri, Singasari, and Majapahit, are little known in comparison, yet beautiful and significant in Indonesian history.

The author presents the major sites of these three historical periods, and discusses their architecture and sculpture. The many narrative reliefs illustrating sacred and secular literature have been painstakingly identified. The reader is thus able to follow their stories and understand where, why, and how they fit into the visual program planned for each temple and their relation to historical events and the wayang theater. These descriptions are augmented by extensive site summaries. Superb color photography supports the text throughout and is a major contribution in itself.

The book contains a wealth of information that is not available all together in any other publication. Not only are the descriptions of the monuments valuable, but the author identifies numerous sculptures in collections around the world that were once associated with the East Javanese temples discussed. The attempted reconstruction of sculptural programs at the sites is extremely important. To understand an ancient Javanese stone sculpture, knowledge of its original cultural context is required rather than its current location on a stand in some museum. Today, with the number of fakes appearing on the art market, such associations are invaluable for dating and authenticating stone sculpture said to come from unidentified East Javanese sites.

The author's understanding of indigenous Javanese ancestor-worship traditions and their integration with foreign Indian religious beliefs is especially helpful, as it explains many of the unusual local features of East Javanese sculpture. Highlighted is the coexistence of Hindu and Buddhist deities that appears to be a uniquely East Javanese religious trend. Worshiping Siva and Buddha: The Temple Art of East Java is a welcome and significant addition not only to Javanese studies but also to architecture, art history, comparative religion, Buddhist, Hindu, and Southeast Asian studies. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Worshiping Siva and Buddha
Their imposing neighbors in Central Java -- beautiful Borobudur, with its beguiling tale of rediscovery after centuries lost, the eerie, mysterious specter of Hindu Prambanan -- have often overshadowed the charms of the temples of East Java.

Kinney endeavors to set the record straight and give the East Java wonders their historical and cultural due in this copiously detailed, lavishly illustrated and fascinating volume.

She puts the construction of the temples in historical context, including the entry and development of Buddhism and Hinduism in Java, describing the unique characteristics of the temple architecture from the great East Javanese kingdoms of Kediri, Singosari and Majapahit. She also speculates on the reasons for the "reversal of fortune" that led to Central Java's temples gaining more prominence with contemporary scholars.

The author has a concise, interesting, inviting style: This is no pedantic roll call of facts, but neither is it the light-weight academic exercise of the usual glossy coffee-table book.

Kinney writes in the prologue that much of the information on the temples and their architecture is only available in scattered sources, and her intent was to bring it together in one readily available source. She succeeds admirably; every page shows her scholarly credentials, but the care and precision in which she details the story of each temple, great and small, also reveals a deep love of the subject (as she laments, many of the sculptures are no longer at their original sites, but have been spirited away to museums around the world).

For those with aspirations of writing a great tome to Indonesia and its wonders, Kinney has met the standard and then some with this gorgeous work. ... Read more

Book Description

Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel-the great glory of Vatican art and one of the most treasured masterpieces of Western painting-provide a visual feast for art lovers in this magnificent, affordable new book. Presenting a complete survey of the restored Sistine Chapel frescoes from Creation scenes to the Last Judgment, the book includes a new text by a prominent American scholar. The stunning photographs, previously published by Abrams in two separate volumes, show brilliant details as well as large, overall views. No other one-volume work on the Sistine Chapel offers such a clear, concise introduction to this perennially popular subject. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Loved it!
This was a wonderful book at a really good price. The pictures are quite good, showing a lot of detail and clarity. The narrative is enjoyable as well. This book will make you want to go to Rome and see the real thing up close! (This is also a good book to read along with Ross King's "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling.") Great for your coffee table or art history collection! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent for Devotional Reflections, Especially During Lent
This collection has four books (Annunciation, Last Supper, Crucifixion, Descent) which will be a treasure to all those who love great art, and especially those attracted to religious art. Each book is beautifully bound in its own brilliant metallic color: gold, silver, bronze and copper. The unique size and color of the books make this set aesthetically pleasing. It is a wonderful collection to display on any shelf. The prints, more than 100 in each book, are of superb quality. Phaidon, the publisher, is recognized for excellence and elegance in all their printing. There is scant text; each book has a New Testament scriptural preface, then a brief caption accompanies each image.

As the titles project, a central event in Christ's life is elucidated by the world's best artistic masters; each brings their own commentary to the selected Christological theme. Most enjoyable, and educational, is the progression through time, starting with early art pieces and finishing with contemporary masters. From beginning to end, each book is a wonderful journey through time.

Stunning. macabre, painful and finally humbling were some of the feelings I experienced as I journeyed with the masters through the 120 plates that depicted the crucifixion of Christ. Unlike "Annunciation" and "Last Supper", two other books in this Phaidon set, where you can see the changes in the artist interpretation of the event through the ages, the image of the painful and gruesome death of Christ in "Crucifixion" changes little over the 1600 years covered here. The inhumanity of the crucifixion travels vividly through the ages; from the earliest picture, painted by the monk Rabbula in Mesopotamia (586 AD) to Lovis Corinth's (1907) and Stanley Spenser's (1958) disturbing images. You can not come away from viewing this book without realizing the pain and suffering that occurred on the cross. This is a book I will return to as a devotional, especially during Lent, to rethink the cost of redemption. Excellent. Highly Recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Famous, above all, for his awe-inspiring Isenheimer Altarpiece, Matthias Grunewald was one of the great Renaissance visionaries and has exerted a lasting influence on European painting.This book presents Grunewald's oeuvre from the early paintings and drawings through his major masterpieces, the altarpieces in Frankfurt, Isenheim, Aschaffenburg and Mainz up to his last works, and also includes an up-to-date catalogue of paintings and drawings definitively attributed to the artist. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Will the real Matthias Grunewald please stand up?
Possibly 26 paintings and 37 drawings by MATTHIAS GRUNEWALD made safe passage. Others didn't. In 1789 revolutionary mobs went after his late Gothic Isenheim altarpiece. An altarpiece panel went missing from a Frankfurt museum 36 years after.

Grunewald became unknown in art history. But he came back, thanks to Heinrich Alfred Schmid in 1911 and Walter Karl Zulch in 1938. In fact, records in Aschaffenburg and Seligenstadt, plus studies by Alfred Schadler and Bernhard Saran, have left us with 4 Masters Mathis to choose from!

So was the artist Master Mathis, carver in Seligenstadt? Or was he Master Mathis of Aschaffenburg, also hydraulic engineer of the Klopp castle artesian well in Bingen? Or was he Master Mathis of Grun, carver, painter or sculptor in Frankfurt? Or was he Master Mathis, architectural painter and gilder in Aschaffenburg?

Even with the author's answer, we've no record of Grunewald's journeymanship, apprenticeship, or pre-mastership. How did Grunewald paint the first European realistic total solar eclipse, in the Mainz small crucifixion? The only eclipse during his lifetime was on October 1, 1502. It was seen only in the Brandenburg marches, Lusatia, Mecklenburg, Silesia and southern Poland.

And how did he come up with his tempera medium? It used little oil, for boldly spreading colors and subtle changes. That was only done by the colorist Master of Wittingau, Bohemia.

Finally, his art had Bohemian, French, Italian and Netherlandish touches. Did the lack of colored center and the modulated local color in The mocking of Christ mean that he studied with Hans Holbein the Elder, the great colorist of Augsburg? Why was Judas standing alone, Leonardo da Vinci-style, in The last supper?

Why was the Isenheim Calvary painted, da Vinci-like, in brightest light? Why did Christ turn out his palms, Raphael- and Verrocchio-like, to show his wounds in the Isenheim Resurrection? Where did the Isenheim central panel get the angel concert from? They were painted in France, as of Jean Pucelle's Book of hours. The roofless golden temple was like Melchior Broederlam's Dijon altarpiece and the Breisach minster roodscreen in Alsace. Why were there Hieronymus Bosch-like light rays from God in the Isenheim Incarnation?

Horst Ziermann's book perfectly preps Ruth Mellinkoff's THE DEVIL AT ISENHEIM and Gottfried Richter's THE ISENHEIM ALTAR. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

enjoyable art
This book is full of enjoyable and interesting art. It also has a quality cover & mostly color plates. Much of the art is medieval, although it spans from antiquity to recent decades. It covers all genres of the subject, from religious works to ads and pop-art. This whole icons series from Taschen looks interesting. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Leonardo's The Last Supper, painted in tempera on the damp walls of a dining room for the Dominican monks of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan, began falling apart in his lifetime. Five centuries of dust, mildew, and bad treatment (including vandalism by French 18th-century troops, Allied bombs in World War II, and various ham-handed attempts at cleaning and repainting) have only made things worse. The most recent restoration team went about the job with surgical precision, beginning in 1977. While much of the original is irrevocably lost, the fragments of paint that remain still form a deeply evocative and exquisitely rendered composition, and many of the faces have gained increased visibility and plasticity. More than 200 full-color pages painstakingly document every inch of the ghostly surface. Beginning with full views, the focus narrows until each image is presented in its actual size, interleaved with an all-black page for heightened clarity. To look so closely at the fragile network of paint flecks is to be acutely aware of the mystery of perception--that these flecks of color allow us to read each apostle's mood and personality as they reacted to Christ's words ("One of you will betray me"). The commentary, printed in pleasingly large type and fluidly translated from the Italian, is segregated from the major reproductions, allowing the fresco to speak for itself. An introductory text traces the history of the painting and its restorations, as well as shifts in critical opinion. In a lengthy, generously illustrated section at the back of the book, chief curator Pinin Brambilla Barcilon explains how she restored each portion of the masterwork. While this may be more than the casual reader cares to know, extraordinary attention to detail is one of the hallmarks of both the project and the book. --Cathy Curtis ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Superb effort
For those who are interested in the highly controversial world of art conservation/restoration, this book is a must. For the first time in English, we have an in-depth account of the 20-plus year intervention on Leonardo's masterpiece, the Last Supper. The project, applauded by some and decried by many, is documented here with hundreds of color illustrations and an essay by the chief conservator of the project. This is largely the Italians' point of view, which is highly controversial. But as the English-language editors say in their preface, it is important that all informed voices be heard in the debate as to the originality of Leonardo's hand and just what sort of intervention was appropriate to this situation.

definitive and exquisite!
The focus of this book is the controversial restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, an icon of Renaissance art and a fresco that was in trouble from the time Leonardo painted it using nontraditional fresco techniques. The difficulty of the restoration just completed lay in the problems of the original, which began to flake and and self-destruct soon after its completion. A number of attempts at restoration over the past several hundred years resulted in the destruction and/or replacement of a good deal of the original, and the contemporary restoration was an attempt to undo past mistakes and reveal as much as possible of the remaining original while preserving the piece. The extraordinary color images in this book depict virtually every square inch of the fresco before, during, and after the just-completed restoration. It is the best documentation we will ever have of a remarkable work and the struggle to keep it from vanishing. ... Read more

Book Description

A richly illustrated guidebook to the deities of Tibetan Buddhism. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Most Definitive Guide of Buddhist Deity
The most definitive guide to Buddhism. The deity are all beautifully illustrated in rich color, complete with the historical background of the deity that gain enormous popularity in the east.

It had all the answers that you had always wanted to ask in the past. For illustration why some deities look so wraughtful, fierce and the significance of those implements or objects they hold.

I like the most is the explaination on the deity background concise, full illustrated, very well elaborated and accurate description.

An indispensible guide! Highly recommended.

Excellent Insight into the Nature of Deity Yoga
This is an excellent book for all those interested in the practice of Deity Yoga. Written by Westerners with a very clear insight into the elements and art of the practice. ... Read more

Book Description

This stimulating book offers an exciting new approach to the twin themes of the arts of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christian art. Beginning in the second century, with its rich revival of ancient learning and artistic practices, and ending in the fifth with Christian narrative and liturgical cycles and the pilgrimage arts, this book explores the art of the Roman Empire by tackling two inter-related periods of internal transformation: the 'Second Sophist' (c. ad 100-300), and the era of late antiquity (c. ad 250-450). For the first time, these two themes are treated together, throwing a more penetrating light on the radical change undergone by the empire in becoming a Christian imperium. Vases, murals, statues, and masonry are explored in relation to such issues as power, death, society, acculturation, and religion. By examining questions of reception, viewing, and the culture of spectacle alongside the more traditional art-historical themes of imperial patronage and stylistic change, Elsner presents a fresh and challenging account of a rich cultural crucible in which many developments of later European art had their origins. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A most-read for those interest in late roman culture
Historians today are in the process of taking a closer look at periods traditionally seen as "outside" the high points of history. As Jas Elsner demonstrates, the period usually seen as the decline of ancient Roman tradition was in reality a period of rich tradition as people continually reworked their traditions to produce a society just as interesting in its own right as that of Charlemagne or Augustus.

The many illustrations to this book are excellent at illustrating the main points, though they could be larger. That aside, Elsner vivid writing style makes the complex changes of this period easy to understand even to one new to the field. This is a must-read, not only for those interested in Roman art, but for anyone interested in cultural change or art in general.

Elsner Does It
This very readable book interweaves Roman Imperial Art from the second century of our era with evolving Christian traditions. The reader comes away with a nuanced and richly textured picture of place of Christian art in the broader visual culture of the Late Empire. Altogether a wonderful single-volume treatment of this complex period. This book shows us what can be lost when we study art in narrow catagories. Once you read it you won't soon forget that Early Christian art is also Roman art. I found it a very good read. ... Read more

Book Description

The moralized Bible, in which biblical scenes are juxtaposed with theological and allegorical interpretative images, was a new and original type of bi- blical manuscript that emerged in Paris in the 1220s. The book reproduced here in facsimile in one of the most beautiful of the surviving copies that was made in the firt half of the 13th century, and its glorious pages, with over 1000 illuminated medallions, vie with the translucent stained glass windows of the great Gothic cathedrals. 136 pages of color illustration. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Used as a major resource for college-level Ind. Study
Gorgeously printed images and translations and explanations of every line and image. I would personally consider this a collectors' item because it is such a beautiful book. I used it as a major resource for my art history Independent Study on 13th Century French Manuscript Art. ... Read more

Book Description

Ten years of visionary artwork from a rare artist embraced by critics, spiritual leaders, and the general public during his lifetime. * Includes essays on Grey's work by the renowned art critic Donald Kuspit and by Stephen Larsen, author of Fire in the Mind: The Authorized Biography of Joseph Campbell. * The long-awaited follow-up to Sacred Mirrors, which has sold more than 50,000 copies and has appeared in five languages.

Every once in a great while an artist emerges who does more than simply reflect the social trends of the time. These artists are able to transcend established thinking and help us redefine ourselves and our world. Today, a growing number of art critics, philosophers, and spiritual seekers believe they have found that vision in the art of Alex Grey.

Transfigurations is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Sacred Mirrors, one of the most successful art books of the 1990s. It includes all of Grey's major works completed in the past decade, including the masterful seven-paneled altarpiece Nature of Mind, called "the grand climax of Grey's art" by Donald Kuspit. Grey's portrayals of human beings blend scientific exactitude with visionary depictions of universal life energy, leading us on the soul's journey from material world encasement to recovery of our divinely illuminated core. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Art and Spirit for all of Mankind.
This well printed, well bound, book contains stunningly beautiful and provocative spiritual imagery that resonates with the truth within us. But anyone who has seen Mr. Grey's work before has come to expect this from him.

The real treat is that the pages contain an incredible amount of intensely interesting background information (and tons of photos!) on Alex's early works, as well as insightful commentaries by Albert Hoffmann, Stephen Larsen, Donald Kuspit, and Ken Wilber.

I have to say... I bought my copy at a higher price directly from Alex Grey's website (...). It showed up a few days after ordering, smelling of freshly printed ink, nicely wrapped and (best of all!) signed by Alex Grey.

While it is true that Alex Grey's most recent book celebrates the Journey within all of us, it also offers the reader the opportunity to be subtly transformed by the power of the imagery and lyrical writing contained within - something that we can all benefit from during these disturbing days and into the uncertain ones to come.

For this reader, the most exciting aspect of this book is the announcement of Alex Grey's plan to build a Chapel to house the Sacred Mirrors.

I have no doubt that this Chapel will be one of the wonders of our age.

May God Bless Alex, Allyson, and Zena Grey and give them all the strength, luck, and power to support each other into the distant years to come.

- G.F.

Progression of an Artist
Transfigurations is the pictorial history of the artist and how he finds his way towards his own personal excellence.

Alex Gray is a remarkable artist who has survived the different phases artists move through in their lifetimes, and has found himself a style and expression that is both moving and beautiful to experience. From his early works as a teenager, to his performance art of the 70's and 80's, Mr. Grey has translated many of his emotional experiences to various artistic mediums. The pictures and history provide you with the background you need to understand the spiritual inspiration Mr. Grey has finally found in his work and presented in this book.

I found this book to be very inspirational. The artwork is a personal and moving experience of the artist and I was very much taken by the meanings and visual ideals conveyed by them.

Bravo for a well produced effort on the part of the publisher, Inner Traditions, to be able to produce a book worthy of the works of this artist.

Spiritually inspired, expertly rendered and well produced, this book is worthy of a place on any serious collectors shelf.

A New Gift From one of America's Great Artists
What a treat a new collection of images from Alex Grey is.
This new book, following his original Sacred Mirrors, is an eyeful of wonder, magic, luminosity, and to borrow from Mircea Eliade, the spiritual philosopher, NUMINOSITY-- visions of the sacred, mystical and, paradoxically, of the unknowable.

In this beautifully rendered book, Alex Grey takes you to his newest visions and also to his fascinating roots. There are very few people who have followed his path. It is no wonder that he has such an amazing group of people (Albert Hoffman, Ken Wilber, Stephen Larsen) contributing to his book.

This is not your typical beautiful art book. It will fill you up, as many an art book can, but it will also lift you, and offer you a kaleidoscope of visions, or more precisely, ways of looking at the world.

the book also includes some images of Alex's dream project, the creation of a sacred space where his sacred mirrors series can be properly displayed. I have a feeling that when it completed, it will evoke feelings similar to those one experiences when entering Notre Dame, the Blue Mosque, (been to them) or the Pyramids.

Psychedelic art
Truly edifying, powerfully enlightening art of the nervous system (peeled open) and all its glory.

The universe is marvelous, indeed. Grey is a shining star.

Grey grows up
I have possessed a slightly beaten-up copy of Alex Grey's first book, Sacred Mirrors, since it was released, and I waited anxiously for Transfigurations to come out. Let me warn everyone: it is a book with a different message and focus than Mirrors. However, it is a message than many of us need to hear. This book focuses more on Grey's development as an artist, with an informative opening section on Grey's artwork through the years. It really gives meaning to his art to see the fruits of his confrontations with his "dark side" early on, and to see what those insights have contributed to the art he produces today. These pieces seem more personal than those in Mirrors, with Grey depicting families, birth, and his young daughter in his trademark hyper-realistic, transparent-skin style. He also includes some of his poems, which accompany a multi-part piece on the journey of the soul. Grey's earlier pieces tended to depict kisses, sex, or deities--universal themes we can all relate to. This book finds him paiting "headaches" or "despair" with the same insight he devotes to more upbeat subjects. Overall this is a great book, illustrating how Grey has grown as an artist over the years. If you are searching for just another "trip-book" on the order of his first publication, this may not be what you're looking for. But for me, it was an enriching view of what Grey's art is becoming as he, like many of us, tries to reconcile a transcendental and psychedelic worldview with a comforting and stable family life. ... Read more