The Art of God and the Religions of Art

The Art of God traces the progressive loss in the West of contact with, or faith in, a real created order, and discusses the manifestations of this loss in fine art. Making detailed reference to specific artists and works, Thistlewaite shows how the diversity of our responses to modern art, as well as that of previous centuries, inescapably raises the question of truth. This readable and thought-provoking book breaks new ground as it links the pleasures of art to the dynamic character of God, and asks what happens to creativity and to artists when the appreciation of God is absent. It thus offers readers a fresh perspective from which to appreciate art. ""For anyone who cares about the visual arts in today's culture, this is essential reading. David Thistlewaite combines the learning of years of reading and reflection with a passion for the practical and down-to-earth. It is gracious, engaging, and rich in wisdom. I commend it warmly."" --Jeremy Begbie Director, Theology Through the Arts Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies, University of Cambridge ""Here is a book on art and religion that is mercifully free of art-speak. Unlike any recieved notion of fundamentalists that one might have, the writer David Thistlewaited is sophisticated, highly literate, and intellectually able to fight his corner for his faith. Although, for the moment at least, i do not necessarily share all of the writer's beliefs, I welcome this book for the opportunity it allows to look critically at art through the eyes of a thoughtful Christian."" --Michael Sandle FRBS David Thistlethwaite read Art History at Cambridge, spent four years with Old Master and Modern British art in a leading Bond Street, London, gallery, before returning to Cambridge to do research. As well as writing and speaking on art and faith, David is a painter of landscape and portraits (see www.artinthecountry.co.uk) and currently works for The John Ray Initiative, a Christian environmental charity based in Cheltenham, England.