Examining how God and eventually Christ are portrayed in early Christian art; Jensen explores questions of the relationship between art and theology; conflicts over idolatry and iconography; and how the Christological controversies affected the portrayals of Christ. Since much of this art comes from ancient Rome; she places her analysis in the context of the history of Roman portraiture. One hundred photographs enhance the discussion.
#1447022 in eBooks 2004-11-01 2004-10-31File Name: B000VU4JC4
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Highly philosophical; thus eye-opening though impracticalBy DanielGraham McFee has written a tremendous book on the aesthetics of dance. His discussion goes on for roughly 350 pages yet rarely becomes repetitive or obtuse. Much has been written on the aesthetics of many other art forms both high and low--music; painting; and architecture; for instance--even though most of us freely acknowledge that what makes these art forms wonderous and human is impossible to explain in plain language. Why are we moved by melody; drawn in my a painting; or surprised by a great building? Its possible to discuss these questions but not to pin down the answers. The wonderful thing is how these discussions become more pleasurable rather than less so because they have no definite end.In this vein; McFees lengthy book on the aesthetics of dance is not conclusive. Yet while McFee never pins down exactly why humans dance and enjoy watching others dance; he firmly nails down components of the answer that enrich and enliven thought and discussion on the subject of dance."Understanding Dance" is not a practical guide to how to watch and quantify particular dance performances. There is no glossary; and you wont find a chart explaining the differences between jazz; tap; modern; and ballet dance styles. Still; its unique approach makes it a worthwhile and memorable read both for people deep in the world of dance and also for people just getting their feet wet. Rather than being full of jargon and dancing fundamentals; this book takes a broad and high approach to the subject of dance. You wont learn the difference between a pirouette and a grand jeteacute;; but you will understand much more deeply why it is so pleasurable and inspiring to watch a ballet troupe (or any group of dancers) perform.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Comprehensive and ambitious...By Julie C. Van Camp". . . one of a very few comprehensive studies of dance by a serious philosopher; and he explores a wide range of important philosophical issues; from the identity of works of art in dance to the nature of crtitical reasoning." -- from my review for the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism; Vol. 51 (Fall 1993); pp. 644-666.