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Picturing the Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation in the Arts over Two Millennia
The book of Revelation has been a source of continual fascination for nearly two thousand years. Concepts such as The Lamb of God, the Four Horsemen, the Seventh Seal, the Beasts and Antichrist, the Whore of Babylon, Armageddon, the Millennium, the Last Judgement, the New Jerusalem, and the ubiquitous angels of the Apocalypse have captured the popular imagination. One can hardly open a newspaper or click on a news site without reading about impending financial or climate-change Armageddon, while the concept of the Four Horsemen pervades popular music, gaming, and satire. Yet few people know much about either the basic meaning or original context of these concepts or the multiplicity of different ways in which they have been interpreted by visual artists in particular. The visual history of this most widely illustrated of all the biblical books deserves greater attention. This book fills these gaps in a striking and original way by means of ten concise thematic chapters which explain the origins of these concepts from the book of Revelation in an accessible way. These explanations are augmented and developed via a carefully selected sample of the ways in which the concepts have been treated by artists through the centuries. The 120 visual examples are drawn from a wide range of time periods and media including the ninth-century Trier Apocalypse, thirteenth-century Anglo-Norman Apocalypse Manuscripts such as the Lambeth and Trinity Apocalypses, the fourteenth-century Angers Apocalypse Tapestry, fifteenth-century Apocalypse altarpieces by Van Eyck and Memling, Durer and Cranach's sixteenth-century Apocalypse woodcuts, and more recently a range of works by William Blake, J.M.W. Turner, Max Beckmann, as well as film posters and film stills, cartoons, and children's book illustrations. The final chapter demonstrates the continuing resonance of all the themes in contemporary religious, political, and popular thinking, while throughout the book a contrast will be drawn between those readers of Revelation who have seen it in terms of earthly revolutions in the here and now, and those who have adopted a more spiritual, other-worldly approach.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 25, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 10, 2015
Pros: beautiful images, commentary on the images and the periods that produced them
Cons: repetition, very broad overview using a limited number of works, breaks 2000 years into 3 periods for discussion
[Note: The advanced reading copy of the book that I received for the purpose of this review did not include the colour plates. The authors give good descriptions of each photo and in most cases I was able to look the images up online.]
Picturing the Apocalypse breaks down the last book in the Bible, the book of Revelations, into its composite parts as a way of detailing how artists over the years have illustrated each part. The chapters consist of: The angelic guides and John’s journey, the Lamb, the Four Horsemen, the Seven Seals, the Woman Clothed with the Sun, the Satanic Trinity (ie, the beasts and Antichrist), The Whore of Babylon, Armageddon, the Millennium and the Last Judgement, the New Jerusalem and, finally, how the 20th and 21st centuries have utilized the imagery.
The authors picked a few representative works that they then used to illustrate the entirety of the book of Revelations. This allows the reader to see both how different elements evolved over time as people from different periods adapted them, and also to see how the same sources in each period illustrated the work as a whole. There are, of course, some works included in each chapter that only refers to that element (works where the artist didn’t illustrate the whole book but where seeing a few more examples helps show a wider range of influence). The downside to this is that you’re only seeing a limited sampling of what’s out there, but being comprehensive with so broad a topic would cause its own problems.
The illustrations and works they picked are of great beauty and show the different elements to great advantage. They also act as a jumping off point to doing more independent research.
Though the authors describe the images they’re citing very well, be prepared to flip back and forth between the text and images a lot, both because you’ll want to see what they’re pointing out in their descriptions but also because they often reference the images at different points in the text (so, for example, an image inset in chapter 8 will be mentioned in chapters 1 and 10 as well).
There’s a fair amount of repetition in the text and pointing the reader to the chapters where certain themes and concepts are addressed, giving the book the feel of something meant to be referenced by chapter (as by someone looking for images on a particular element) rather than something to be read from start to finish. The chapter on 20-21st C representations especially points the reader to numerous images already discussed.
The authors tried to show the book of Revelations in context for the different periods that they discussed, mentioning that the author of the book was writing it not long after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, when Christianity was being persecuted and when people were looking for a militaristic saviour/end of the world to come. Seeing how people of different ages turned the meaning of the vision to their own ends was fascinating.
Having said that, while I understand the necessity of mentioning the feminist critiques of the book, specifically that the depiction of women is stuck in the dichotomy of mother/bride/virtuous woman vs whore is important, I was a bit surprised at how… apologetic the authors were when presenting this 2000 year old text. Obviously the author and numerous illustrators weren’t concerned with 21st century ideals, so why should the authors of this commentary work feel the need to do more than comment on how perceptions change? Along the same lines, I was surprised at the authors’ attempt to reconcile the ‘good’ God of the New Testament with the destruction inherent in the book of Revelation. While Christ taught love, it’s clear that the God of the Old Testament had no problem with death and destruction (plagues of Egypt, ordering genocide of conquered nations, the flood). And this is the God that an early Christian, familiar with the Hebrew religious texts, would have been familiar with. Again, it seemed a bit strange that the authors were apologizing for a text and a view of the world that has since fundamentally changed. Simply mentioning that some modern people have trouble with the reconciliation of a vengeful God with the Christian message, and how it impacts the modern view of Revelations, would have sufficed.
While not perfect, this is an excellent primer for looking at the book of Revelation from a artistic standpoint. The authors have a deep understanding of the depictions of the various elements and make some interesting interpretations. And it reproduces some gorgeous images.
Cons: repetition, very broad overview using a limited number of works, breaks 2000 years into 3 periods for discussion
[Note: The advanced reading copy of the book that I received for the purpose of this review did not include the colour plates. The authors give good descriptions of each photo and in most cases I was able to look the images up online.]
Picturing the Apocalypse breaks down the last book in the Bible, the book of Revelations, into its composite parts as a way of detailing how artists over the years have illustrated each part. The chapters consist of: The angelic guides and John’s journey, the Lamb, the Four Horsemen, the Seven Seals, the Woman Clothed with the Sun, the Satanic Trinity (ie, the beasts and Antichrist), The Whore of Babylon, Armageddon, the Millennium and the Last Judgement, the New Jerusalem and, finally, how the 20th and 21st centuries have utilized the imagery.
The authors picked a few representative works that they then used to illustrate the entirety of the book of Revelations. This allows the reader to see both how different elements evolved over time as people from different periods adapted them, and also to see how the same sources in each period illustrated the work as a whole. There are, of course, some works included in each chapter that only refers to that element (works where the artist didn’t illustrate the whole book but where seeing a few more examples helps show a wider range of influence). The downside to this is that you’re only seeing a limited sampling of what’s out there, but being comprehensive with so broad a topic would cause its own problems.
The illustrations and works they picked are of great beauty and show the different elements to great advantage. They also act as a jumping off point to doing more independent research.
Though the authors describe the images they’re citing very well, be prepared to flip back and forth between the text and images a lot, both because you’ll want to see what they’re pointing out in their descriptions but also because they often reference the images at different points in the text (so, for example, an image inset in chapter 8 will be mentioned in chapters 1 and 10 as well).
There’s a fair amount of repetition in the text and pointing the reader to the chapters where certain themes and concepts are addressed, giving the book the feel of something meant to be referenced by chapter (as by someone looking for images on a particular element) rather than something to be read from start to finish. The chapter on 20-21st C representations especially points the reader to numerous images already discussed.
The authors tried to show the book of Revelations in context for the different periods that they discussed, mentioning that the author of the book was writing it not long after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, when Christianity was being persecuted and when people were looking for a militaristic saviour/end of the world to come. Seeing how people of different ages turned the meaning of the vision to their own ends was fascinating.
Having said that, while I understand the necessity of mentioning the feminist critiques of the book, specifically that the depiction of women is stuck in the dichotomy of mother/bride/virtuous woman vs whore is important, I was a bit surprised at how… apologetic the authors were when presenting this 2000 year old text. Obviously the author and numerous illustrators weren’t concerned with 21st century ideals, so why should the authors of this commentary work feel the need to do more than comment on how perceptions change? Along the same lines, I was surprised at the authors’ attempt to reconcile the ‘good’ God of the New Testament with the destruction inherent in the book of Revelation. While Christ taught love, it’s clear that the God of the Old Testament had no problem with death and destruction (plagues of Egypt, ordering genocide of conquered nations, the flood). And this is the God that an early Christian, familiar with the Hebrew religious texts, would have been familiar with. Again, it seemed a bit strange that the authors were apologizing for a text and a view of the world that has since fundamentally changed. Simply mentioning that some modern people have trouble with the reconciliation of a vengeful God with the Christian message, and how it impacts the modern view of Revelations, would have sufficed.
While not perfect, this is an excellent primer for looking at the book of Revelation from a artistic standpoint. The authors have a deep understanding of the depictions of the various elements and make some interesting interpretations. And it reproduces some gorgeous images.
December 3, 2019
The Book of Revelation, its title derived from the Koine Greek apokalypsis, meaning “revelation” or “unveiling,” the New Testament’s decidedly eschatological final book, allegedly composed by the Apostle John, the same disputed author as the equally Greek-tinged eponymous Gospel, has long haunted Western civilization. Modern scholarship points toward a different authorial source, namely John of Patmos, one of a number of Christian prophets who lived in Rome during its fall in AD 64 under the reign of Nero (the Beast with Seven Heads and the number 666 seem to allude to that despotic ruler). This remarkably strange, extremely symbolic book is comprised of an epistolary introduction followed by a letter to seven Asiatic churches in the Roman provinces, with much of its intense imagery deriving from earlier sources, primarily the Jewish prophetic books of the Old Testament Daniel, Ezekiel, Isiah, and the Psalms. Current interpretation of the Book views John’s letter as an admonition to those Christians seeking to withdraw from the Christian community and to seek accommodation with the Roman Empire.
As early as 4th century AD, the Book of Revelation has been considered by canon by the Christian Church. Its poetic and evocative imagery – the Rapture, the Lamb of God, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Death riding a pale horse, a black sun and a moon red as blood, the poisoning Wormwood star, the Seven Seals, the Woman Clothed with the Sun, the legions of avenging angels, the Great Dragon, the Whore of Babylon, the Beast and its mark of 666, the Antichrist, the Bottomless Pit, the Great Judgment, and the New Jerusalem – is intricately and permanently woven into the fabric of Western religion, culture, and eschatology and is as familiar as the best-known lines of Shakespeare. Certainly, Revelation has proven an enduringly fertile source of imagistic, thematic, metaphorical, and moral inspiration for countless artists, musicians, poets, and painters.
In Picturing the Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation in the Arts over Two Millennia, the father-daughter scholarly team of Anthony and Natasha O’Hear provide the reader with an illuminating study of pictorial depictions of the Apocalypse in Western art. Their concise introduction presents a helpful textual history and a summary of major themes and imagery in Revelation from which these various artists and traditions draw inspiration. Because the sheer volume of Revelation-inspired artwork is so vast, the O’Hears wisely focus on ten primary visual works, each of which is devoted a single chapter. Among the 120 visual examples discussed are the Trier Apocalypse (France, early 9th century), the Anglo-Norman Trinity and Lambeth Apocalypses (c. 1250 and 1260-75, respectively), the Angers Apocalypse Tapestry (c. 1377-1382), the fifteenth century altarpieces by Van Eyck and Memling, and Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach the Elder's sixteenth-century woodcuts, with later chapters touching on apocalyptic imagery in literature, music, and film.
The O’Hears provide a welcomingly accessible and informative historical and social contexts for these works, along with extremely well-articulated aesthetic considerations. For example, in discussing Dürer’s The Apocalypse (1498), comprised of a series of fifteen engravings, the O’Hears note that, as with many artists to draw from Revelation’s eschatological well, Dürer’s woodcuts utilize imagery of from Revelation in order to reflect the political and social realities of their times. In Dürer’s 15th century Germany, tensions between Protestant and Roman Catholics were considerably heated and given the near-ubiquitous penetration of religious belief and practice in everyday life, endemic. The established order of both Church and society, intricately interwoven at the time, was being challenged by this ideological split; the march of progress was viewed by many as possessing the sound of apocalyptic hoof beats. Similarly, twentieth century artist Otto Dix would turn to the Four Horsemen in his series of prints Der Krieg (1924) into a meditation on the apocalyptic relations of the exceedingly destructive (and often meaningless) effects of the Great War, a modern day Armageddon, which, in Dix’s view, might be seen as just the latest iteration of an ongoing war that continually plagues humanity. In Dix’s work, the horseman of Death becomes another victim of trench warfare, underlining the almost hopelessly inescapable catastrophe unleashed by the particularly gruesome and unforgiving thresher of modern warfare.
As the O’Hears illustrate, Revelation’s highly symbolic, allusive, and deeply perplexing imagery has proven quite malleable and determinedly adaptable to specific social, cultural, and political contexts, demonstrating how artistic and audience interpretations of Revelation have changed over time due to shifting trends and norms. William Blake, another of the O’Hears’ select examples, could therefore utilize imagery derived from Revelations in order to illustrate his highly personal – and radically individualized and eccentric – philosophical interpretation of Christianity. Indeed, since the nineteenth century, apocalyptic imagery has often been used to underline the existential crisis of social alienation unleashed by modern industrial and post-industrial society. In Edvard Munch’s expressionist The Scream (1893-1910), for example, the O’Hears argue that apocalyptic imagery perfectly adequate for portraying personal as well as social transformation.
The O’Hears include a necessary and useful glossary explaining various technical terms, and while the small, black and white reproductions of the various artworks under discussion are entirely inadequate and, apart from the woodcuts, in dire need for colour reproduction, their inclusion here is at least helpful in introducing modern readers to some of the perhaps lesser-known antiquarian works they discuss. Well-organized, cogently argued, expertly composed, erudite yet approachable, and very masterfully researched, Picturing the Apocalypse is a worthwhile tour among all things apocalyptic. The authors prove capable and learned Virgils, charting a clear path through an immense thicket of theological and aesthetic considerations, without once losing their way. -- Eric Hoffman, Fortean Times
As early as 4th century AD, the Book of Revelation has been considered by canon by the Christian Church. Its poetic and evocative imagery – the Rapture, the Lamb of God, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Death riding a pale horse, a black sun and a moon red as blood, the poisoning Wormwood star, the Seven Seals, the Woman Clothed with the Sun, the legions of avenging angels, the Great Dragon, the Whore of Babylon, the Beast and its mark of 666, the Antichrist, the Bottomless Pit, the Great Judgment, and the New Jerusalem – is intricately and permanently woven into the fabric of Western religion, culture, and eschatology and is as familiar as the best-known lines of Shakespeare. Certainly, Revelation has proven an enduringly fertile source of imagistic, thematic, metaphorical, and moral inspiration for countless artists, musicians, poets, and painters.
In Picturing the Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation in the Arts over Two Millennia, the father-daughter scholarly team of Anthony and Natasha O’Hear provide the reader with an illuminating study of pictorial depictions of the Apocalypse in Western art. Their concise introduction presents a helpful textual history and a summary of major themes and imagery in Revelation from which these various artists and traditions draw inspiration. Because the sheer volume of Revelation-inspired artwork is so vast, the O’Hears wisely focus on ten primary visual works, each of which is devoted a single chapter. Among the 120 visual examples discussed are the Trier Apocalypse (France, early 9th century), the Anglo-Norman Trinity and Lambeth Apocalypses (c. 1250 and 1260-75, respectively), the Angers Apocalypse Tapestry (c. 1377-1382), the fifteenth century altarpieces by Van Eyck and Memling, and Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach the Elder's sixteenth-century woodcuts, with later chapters touching on apocalyptic imagery in literature, music, and film.
The O’Hears provide a welcomingly accessible and informative historical and social contexts for these works, along with extremely well-articulated aesthetic considerations. For example, in discussing Dürer’s The Apocalypse (1498), comprised of a series of fifteen engravings, the O’Hears note that, as with many artists to draw from Revelation’s eschatological well, Dürer’s woodcuts utilize imagery of from Revelation in order to reflect the political and social realities of their times. In Dürer’s 15th century Germany, tensions between Protestant and Roman Catholics were considerably heated and given the near-ubiquitous penetration of religious belief and practice in everyday life, endemic. The established order of both Church and society, intricately interwoven at the time, was being challenged by this ideological split; the march of progress was viewed by many as possessing the sound of apocalyptic hoof beats. Similarly, twentieth century artist Otto Dix would turn to the Four Horsemen in his series of prints Der Krieg (1924) into a meditation on the apocalyptic relations of the exceedingly destructive (and often meaningless) effects of the Great War, a modern day Armageddon, which, in Dix’s view, might be seen as just the latest iteration of an ongoing war that continually plagues humanity. In Dix’s work, the horseman of Death becomes another victim of trench warfare, underlining the almost hopelessly inescapable catastrophe unleashed by the particularly gruesome and unforgiving thresher of modern warfare.
As the O’Hears illustrate, Revelation’s highly symbolic, allusive, and deeply perplexing imagery has proven quite malleable and determinedly adaptable to specific social, cultural, and political contexts, demonstrating how artistic and audience interpretations of Revelation have changed over time due to shifting trends and norms. William Blake, another of the O’Hears’ select examples, could therefore utilize imagery derived from Revelations in order to illustrate his highly personal – and radically individualized and eccentric – philosophical interpretation of Christianity. Indeed, since the nineteenth century, apocalyptic imagery has often been used to underline the existential crisis of social alienation unleashed by modern industrial and post-industrial society. In Edvard Munch’s expressionist The Scream (1893-1910), for example, the O’Hears argue that apocalyptic imagery perfectly adequate for portraying personal as well as social transformation.
The O’Hears include a necessary and useful glossary explaining various technical terms, and while the small, black and white reproductions of the various artworks under discussion are entirely inadequate and, apart from the woodcuts, in dire need for colour reproduction, their inclusion here is at least helpful in introducing modern readers to some of the perhaps lesser-known antiquarian works they discuss. Well-organized, cogently argued, expertly composed, erudite yet approachable, and very masterfully researched, Picturing the Apocalypse is a worthwhile tour among all things apocalyptic. The authors prove capable and learned Virgils, charting a clear path through an immense thicket of theological and aesthetic considerations, without once losing their way. -- Eric Hoffman, Fortean Times
October 2, 2020
Really interesting overview of images linked to the book of Revelation. Only issue was visibility of some of the images. They were hard to see and the detail hard to make out.
December 5, 2021
A unique study, most interesting in its discussion of how Revelation imagery works its way into the modern culture.
October 5, 2025
Very good at exploring the key motifs and repeating themes in revelation yet so repetitive of very simple points that sometimes i wanted to hit myself over the head. Good info but im glad it’s over.
November 23, 2015
http://ensuingchapters.com/2015/11/17...
Revelation is one of the most vivid works of literature ever etched into papyrus. It has inspired artists for nearly 2,000 years, stoking the fires of Michelangelo, Blake and Bosch and establishing the premise of countless bad horror films. In this impressive study, Natasha and Anthony O’Hear examine 120 works of art rooted in the closing chapter of the New Testament. The authors (a father-daughter tandem) breakdown the works into 10 different themes, including the Four Horsemen, the Seven Seals and modern popular culture.
Picturing the Apocalypse is well-written and beautifully illustrated with all of the artworks discussed. I was personally drawn to the religious history of the book, but also enjoyed the art history and theory, the literary and cultural development of Revelation and, ultimately, a fresh look at the text through the modern lens.
If not for you, this is a great gift for fans of art, history, philosophy, literature or anyone looking to upgrade their dinner-party conversation.
Revelation is one of the most vivid works of literature ever etched into papyrus. It has inspired artists for nearly 2,000 years, stoking the fires of Michelangelo, Blake and Bosch and establishing the premise of countless bad horror films. In this impressive study, Natasha and Anthony O’Hear examine 120 works of art rooted in the closing chapter of the New Testament. The authors (a father-daughter tandem) breakdown the works into 10 different themes, including the Four Horsemen, the Seven Seals and modern popular culture.
Picturing the Apocalypse is well-written and beautifully illustrated with all of the artworks discussed. I was personally drawn to the religious history of the book, but also enjoyed the art history and theory, the literary and cultural development of Revelation and, ultimately, a fresh look at the text through the modern lens.
If not for you, this is a great gift for fans of art, history, philosophy, literature or anyone looking to upgrade their dinner-party conversation.
February 23, 2016
90% of this book is a fantastic explanatory analysis of Art and the Apocalyse from the early Middle ages up to the middle of the 20th century. So why, why was the tenth chapter included? I will not dwell on the shortcomings of the 10th chapter it just should not have been included. If the book had been concluded after the first nine chapters this is a 5 star book.
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