What do you think?
Rate this book
Seeing Beyond the Word
This collection of essays seeks to redefine the discussion of Calvinism's impact on the visual arts through an exploration of Reformed artistic influences in England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and America. 200+ illustrations, many in color.
- GenresArt
558 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1999
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 22, 2013
The thesis of this book is not that Calvinism has profoundly shaped European art since the Reformation. It is clear that there is no unique Calvinist style. Calvinists produced art with certain Reformed themes, but the style isn't uniquely Reformed. The general purpose of the book (composed of a set of essays from a conference on visual arts and the Calvinists tradition) is to rebut, and they do quite thoroughly, the popular idea that Calvinism has been hostile to art in general. Convincingly, the authors show that Calvinists were only hostile towards the use and presence of "idolatrous" visual art in worship settings, not art in general. In the late 16th and early 17 centuries, Reformed communities constructed beautiful "temples" in France (all but one destroyed later by Roman Catholics under the centralization of Louis XIV). Huguenot goldsmiths continued to produce masterful works. Reformed Christians in England constructed simple yet elegant churches. Dutch artists produced masterful paintings. These are just a few of the examples brought forth in the book. Calvinists were not against the visual arts. They just wanted them to be in their proper place.
On the subject of architecture, various authors describe how the design of new Reformed churches centered on preaching and, most important, the ability for all to hear the Word preached. In this way, Reformed church design was unique and often significantly different from Roman Catholic churches at the time (though one author discusses Roman Catholic "plain style" architecture, which developed later). Faithfulness to the effectiveness of the Word read and preached drove the architectural style.
At times, there is too much detail and little analysis. As with most books of this type, some chapters are better than others. I can't recommend this book to many. First, it is rather expensive (however, I bought it on clearance for $10 at Christianbook.com) and, as I said, sometimes the authors fail to get to the point. But I do think that someone with an interest in art history, church architecture or religion visual art would find the book useful.
On the subject of architecture, various authors describe how the design of new Reformed churches centered on preaching and, most important, the ability for all to hear the Word preached. In this way, Reformed church design was unique and often significantly different from Roman Catholic churches at the time (though one author discusses Roman Catholic "plain style" architecture, which developed later). Faithfulness to the effectiveness of the Word read and preached drove the architectural style.
At times, there is too much detail and little analysis. As with most books of this type, some chapters are better than others. I can't recommend this book to many. First, it is rather expensive (however, I bought it on clearance for $10 at Christianbook.com) and, as I said, sometimes the authors fail to get to the point. But I do think that someone with an interest in art history, church architecture or religion visual art would find the book useful.
January 15, 2024
Collection of essays on a wide range of themes. Some where better than others.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews