The New Testament: Through 100 Masterpieces of Art

by Régis Debray, Benjamin Lifson (Translator)

The New Testament has been a source of profound inspiration for artists since the Church was first established, and over the centuries their images have developed into a rich and enduring tradition. This collection draws together some of the most celebrated and resonant of these images, from jewel-like fourteenth-century miniatures to the contemplative calm of masterpieces by Giovanni Bellini and Leonardo da Vinci, and the dramatic scenes of Eugene Delacroix and Thomas Cole. These works, which demonstrate an apparently infinite variety of interpretation, allow the reader to become immersed in the marvels of the New Testament, and to discover, or rediscover, the strength and beauty of one of the spiritual and cultural foundations of Western civilization.
Accompanying each painting is a concise retelling of the New Testament story that inspired the work. Many of the images are also supported by a brief commentary on how the episode is traditionally depicted, offering an introduction to the understanding and interpretation of biblical art. In combining images with accessible commentaries, The New Testament Through 100 Masterpieces of Art provides a resource for students, museum visitors, and anyone interested in the relationship between art and religion in Western culture.

222 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2003

About the author

Intellectual, journalist, government official and professor. He is known for his theorization of mediology, a critical theory of the long-term transmission of cultural meaning in human society; and for having fought in 1967 with Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara in Bolivia.