Art, Modernity and Faith

This book, first published in hardback by Macmillan in 1991, appeared in paperback in 1998, with a new concluding chapter and extra illustrations. After an opening chapter which tells 'the story of modern art', George Pattison leads the reader through a more or less historical narrrative of the relationship between Christianity and the visual arts. He begins with the deep-rooted fear of images in the Judaeo-Christian tradition, through Thomism and the writings of Maritain, Rukin and Forsyth, into the uncertainties of the twentieth century. There are concluding discussions on how respect for the integrity iof the visual image becomes a way of grace and how the Zen experience indicates a method which can be used by both theologians and artists. 'It is rare to encounter an author so deeply informed in matters of religion and theology while being so obviously at home in the history and theory of the arts. Combining tese spheres of learning, George Pattison makes a distinctive contribution to understanding religiously significant aspects of art, providing in the process a fresh perspective on why the religious or theological import of art cannot fully be captured in other media of human creation and reflection.' (Theology) George Pattison is Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity in te University of Oxford and a Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.