Art & Soul: Signposts for Christians in the Arts

by Hilary Brand, Adrienne Chaplin, Calvin G. Seerveld (Foreword by)

More Christians than ever before are studying and working in music, painting, sculpture, theater, television, film, architecture and more. Are you one of them? If so, you, like artists in every discipline, face the challenge of working in a way that is both wholly Christian and wholly contemporary, Hilary Brand and Adrienne Chaplin have written this practical and inspirational guide for you. In Art Soul you'll find encouragement for developing a Christian worldview from which you can approach your craft. Here the best teaching on Christianity and the arts during the past fifty years is digested and reapplied, supported by a wealth of quotes from artists, critics and Christian thinkers. A wide range of illustrations, both historical and contemporary, illuminates the text as Brand and Chaplin explore the conflicting influences on Christians entering or working in the arts. They correlate the major biblical themes of creation, fall and redemption to the business of making art. And they examine the nature and purpose of the arts--along with the way you experience and interpret them. Finally, you'll find helpful guidelines on practicing and developing your art. Here is the book to help you meet the challenges facing you today--both from the world of art and from the world of the church.

Genres: Art, Religion, Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity

219 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2001

Reviews

[Sarah Raiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t be put off by the terrible cover. A brave effort. (I know because I’ve tried myself!) Doesn’t claim to have all the answers. A collection of wisdom gleaned from many sources—the quotes are ace.

[Wm. Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the arts. Loaded with juicy quotes. Applicable to more than just Christians.

[Jamie Dougherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely comprehensive and extremely well written. These authors know their art, they know their culture, they know their theology, and they know how to write. It's a little more academic than I was expecting, but it's done so well that it's hard to complain. It's somewhat focused on the fine art/visual art world, but they do an impressive job of relating everything to every form of art.

[Rachel Woodward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be mostly just restating the questions that Christian artists have, rather than providing any good answers. The insights that did come out were based off of quotes from other creatives (C.S. Lewis, Franky Schaeffer, Calvin Seerveld, Dorothy Sayers, Hans Rookmaaker, to name a few), so really the quotes in the margins were the best part of the book.

[Juli · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A great book that offers a lot of info, history, examples and theological thinking about the arts. I found it to be engaging, thought-provoking, as well as practical. A good read for anyone interested in the topic of Theology and the Arts.

[Eric Gitonga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another to be read a second time, this time slowly digesting the goodies it offers.