Throughout history; artists have grappled with the problem of depicting clearly and forcefully the principles of evil and suffering in human existence. With this view; the Lehners have collected 244 representations; symbols; and manuscript pages of devils and death from Egyptian times to 1931. Reproductions from Duuml;rer; Holbein; Cranach; Rembrandt; and many other lesser-known or unknown artists illustrate the fascinating history. The fifteenth; sixteenth; and seventeenth centuries are stressed.The book is divided into 12 chapters; each with a separate introduction. Most of the illustrations are collected in five of these chapters: Devils and Demons; including Belial; Beelzebub; and the Anti-Christ; Witches and Warlocks; their animals; forms; and rituals; The Danse Macabre; with the Dance of Death Alphabet by Holbein and representations of all classes leveled by the common force of death; Memento Mori; including a skull clock; a macabre representation of the Tree of Knowledge and Death; and the winged hourglass and scythe; and Religio-Political Devilry; the fight between the Papists and the Reformers; and symbols of devils in other political disputes. There are also chapters on the Fall of Lucifer; Faust and Mephistopheles; Hell and Damnation; The Apocalyptic Horsemen; Witch-Hunting; The Art of Dying; and Resurrection and Reckoning.Anyone curious about witchcraft; death; and devils will be interested in this book. It is particularly useful to teachers; artists; and illustrators who need clear reproductions for the classroom; for models; or for commercial uses. Death; devils; and their history are very much with us today.
#397657 in eBooks 2012-08-16 2012-08-16File Name: B008TVEHHY
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great readBy harry furnessThis is a great book. It is edited with and amazing single voice eventhough it uses the words of the people who made the music.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. .....its as if they really are talking to you....By Rowena EmmettI first read this wonderful book in the 1960s. It was an orange Penguin classic edition and I loved the format and the atmosphere each vignette provoked. So much so that I lent it to several people over the years until the inevitable happened and it was not returned. and as time passed I forgot the name of the errant borrower. I was forever on the look out for this little orange book. Then I saw it offered on - and now I have a copy again -its not orange but its just as wonderful. If you love the old New Orleans buzz of the first notes of jazz and wonder how this music evolved and why and by whom. then you will truly appreciate this amazing book. Read it and glow!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. writing about music that ISNT like dancing about architectureBy Spider RobinsonAt last. writing about music that ISNT like dancing about architecture. This captures the poetry of the music and its musicians and runs with it.
