This concise guide provides an introduction to the rich and variegated subject of Christian currents through art and music down the ages; it is personal in its focus on favorite major artists and their subjects as examples of these sacred themes. The author's professional focus on the Baroque giants Rubens and Bernini, who followed the revolutionary Caravaggio, explains-if not justifies-the central place they claim in this study. Scribner, author of numerous books on the arts, places them in the context of the broader Christian tradition. The focus is admittedly European-some might say Eurocentric-not global. His aim is to offer a brief, illustrated book that may be read in one sitting. It is intended to be protreptic, something that will encourage and spur on the reader-teacher, student, amateur alike-to pursue their own explorations in periods and artists that likewise hold special appeal. The book will include 45 color and b&w illustrations of great works of art.
Charles Scribner III received his PhD from Princeton University, where he taught Baroque Art before pursuing a publishing career at Scribner. He is the author of monographs on Rubens (1989) and Bernini (1991), a book on Rubens's Eucharist Tapestries (1983), two spiritual journals-The Shadow of God (2006) and Home By Another Route (2016)- and numerous articles on art, music, and literature. His webpage is www.charlesscribner.com.
Dedication Sacred Muse A Note on Notes Selected Readings Index About the Author
Bringing together personal devotion and professional acumen, this slim book is unique on several levels. A true believer speaks with an objective voice on the importance of Christian visual art and music as they alternate in preeminence from the Early Renaissance to the present day. A practicing art historian, Scribner presents deep analyses of splendid works of art succinctly (with original contributions), while articulating their intensely felt sacred, often liturgical content. His analysis of sacral musical masterpieces, plus his own essential estimations, is a parallel gift. Scribner's muse brings religious faith and aesthetic knowledge into an edifying unison.--Marilyn Aronberg Lavin, art historian Rich with historical information on multiple fronts of inquiry and eye-opening personal insights into some of the most sublime works of art of the Western civilization, the elegantly and engagingly written Sacred Muse is a sheer delight to read and contemplate. Despite its diminutive size, it deserves a place of honor alongside Sir Kenneth Clark's Civilisation.--Franco Mormando, Boston College, author of Bernini: His Life and His Rome
