Brendan Powell Smith has spent the last decade creating nearly 5;000 scenes from the bible--with Legos. The Holy Bible is complex; sometimes dark; and other times joyous; and Smiths masterful work is a far cry from what a small child might build. The beauty of The Brick Bible is that everyone; from the devout to nonbelievers; will find something breathtaking; fascinating; or entertaining within this collection. Smiths subtle touch brings out the nuances of each scene and makes you reconsider the way you look at Legos--its something that needs to be seen to be believed.
#572641 in eBooks 2005-04-21 2005-04-21File Name: B006W6R3GU
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Well-crammed studyBy HHThe brevity of this book is deceptive. Between its covers Johnsons discussion of Renaissance art north and south of the Alps ranges over technique. altarpieces. narrative painting. the depiction of nature. antiquity. portraiture. women and gender. the domestic sphere. urbanism. politics. the birth of the artist and the birth of art history. She reproduces paintings. drawings. prints. sculpture. illuminations. ceramics and furniture by Domenico Veneziano. Donatello. Giovanni Bellini. Domenico Ghirlandaio. Botticelli. Mazzoni. Carpaccio. Leonardo. Raphael. Antico. Rosso Fiorentino. Lotto. Michelangelo. Cellini. Titian. Lavinia Fontana. Jan van Eyck. the Master of Mary of Burgundy. the Master of Frankfurt. Riemenschneider. Duuml;rer. Gruuml;newald. the younger Holbein. the elder Brueghel. and Gheeraerts.As this breadth and wealth of subjects suggests. the book is not a straightforward narrative history. but a disciplined and methodical introduction to the main themes that shape current histories of renaissance art. Each of its nine chapters begins with a discussion of a particular work of art. raising a broad issue. and continues with a series of pithy. one or two-page explanations and expansions centerd on further examples. Throughout. Johnson emphasizes the importance of viewing Renaissance art in the terms in which it was originally conceived. rather than as a context-free focus for aesthetic adoration in a museum. She twice refers to the "period eye". and the influence of Baxandall is pervasive. Thus. Johnson notes the role of patrons in shaping the appearance of works of art -- although that is itself a description she would eschew. reminding us of the mass of objects acquired or commissioned for their practical uses (including display) rather than as purely aesthetic objects. Her explanations are seldom simplistic. however. and so. for example. she points out the mix of religious and secular motivations that might influence even the most apparently devotional of works. All this is brought to life for the general reader with the occasional reminder of contemporary culture: the patron of Holbeins Ambassadors. Jean de Dinteville. is described as "a gloomy ex-pat". whilst Duuml;rers frequently-forged monogram is compared to McDonalds golden arches or the Chanel double-C.As with any work that does so much in so little space. there are omissions: there is no discussion of architecture. and I would like to have seen work by van der Weyden and Mantegna included. Some of the illustrations are unnecessarily murky. and dimensions would have given readers a better grasp of the relative sizes of the works depicted. One might quibble about the centrality of perspectival space to all Italian renaissance art -- Pisanello did perfectly well without it -- or the certainty of the identification of the subjects of the Arnolfini portrait. but Johnson has succeeded in packing a great deal of intelligent discussion into a very limited space.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. very informativeBy werner gompertzMost of the books in the Very Short Introduction series are first-rate. Geraldine Johnsons "Renaissance Art" is no exception.Today. many of us are familiar with Renaissance art works through reproductions in books or visits to art museums. but we tend to view these works through the eyes of modern art critics. whose preoccupations are quite different from the intentions of the Renaissance artists themselves. This book helps us to appreciate Renaissance art works by focusing on the historical context under which they were created. So. the religious and political motivation of the artist and the patrons who commissioned the work take precedence over aesthetic considerations. According to Johnson. it was only gradually that aesthetic considerations increased in importance. and she demonstrates how it was that aesthetic motives became dominant under the influence of Michelangelo. and of Giorgio Vasari. the first Art Historian.There is a separate chapter dealing with the role of Renaissance women. as patrons and as artists. For those of us who are not experts in Renaissance art. the glossary will prove useful. as will the list of suggestions for further reading.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Highly recommendedBy Pont dAvignonVery helpful overview that I perused prior to a recent art trip to Italy. It put people. places and works of art in perspective. Just what I wanted.
