How Catholic Art Saved the Faith: The Triumph of Beauty and Truth in Counter-Reformation Art

Besides being extremely informative and well written, this book is replete with beautiful artwork. In addition, the material of the book enables the photos of the artwork to portray the true essence of the artwork. Highly Recommended.

Great book! A must have for artists and Catholics.

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty" said poet John Keats.Nowhere is this more evident than in the Catholic liturgy and Catholic art and literature.Reading a book with only ugly characters usually misses the point with which great literature always rewards the careful reader. In nearly every age, it is the beauty depicting our faith that draws the reader into the realm of the truth that great art represents. Elizabeth Lev has given us a tantalizing collection of Catholic art--and a superb analysis of its effects on our understanding of church history. Highly recommended, and the photographs leave the reader wanting more.

I love this book! Elizabeth Lev writes in a breezy, tongue in cheek manner and brings the information to the reader in a vivid and exciting manner! The color plates are good and honestly, the book reads like a novel. It is hard to put it down. I met this fine writer in Rome a few years back and she gave our group a stunning personal tour of some magnificent sites. She is as engaging in her writing as she is in person! Bravissima!

The language in the publisher's blurb ("this vibrant, visual-arts SWAT team whose war cry could have been "art for Faith's sake!"'; "the affirmation through beauty of the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church"; "lucid explanations of their lovely creations";) is matched by Lev's writing style: bold, almost strident in describing the theological differences between Protestant and Catholic teaching, insightful expression of the Church teaching defended in the individual artworks; cogent analysis of how each artist succeeded in technique, adaptation of the tradition, and creativity.She is rather dismissive of medieval art and architecture insofar as the Gothic did not suit the new challenges to Catholic teaching: she rejects the rood screen for example because it blocked the view of the Altar--during the Middle Ages the Eucharist was usually reserved in a pyx not a Tabernacle-- and contrasts the static "sacred conversations" of Jesus, Mary, certain saints, and the donors of the work on the side with the dramatic, even emotional depictions of pilgrims and laity before the Blessed Virgin Mary (Caravaggio's Our Lady of Loreto or Our Lady of the Rosary)--and she rejects vehemently the idea that Jesus is pointing to the younger man counting the money in Caravaggio's Call of St. Matthew!The first two parts of the book, "The Sacraments" and "Intercession" are the most successful demonstration of the premise of the book: that the images and architecture of Counter-Reformation Rome, starting with the reign of Pope Sixtus V helped the Church defend and revive the doctrines and religious devotions codified at the Council of Trent. The Real Presence, the Sacrament of Penance, Holy Orders, Baptism, the Communion of Saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary, prayer for the Poor Souls in Purgatory, miracles, repentance, etc: Lev matches the restated doctrine to certain paintings exactly.The third part, "Cooperation" did not explore the thesis of how Catholic Art Saved the Faith but how the Church continued our mission to preach the Gospel to the whole world. The hall of maps and Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers are at a remove from the work of the Church in the later sixteenth and early seventeenth century. The chapter on "Faith and Empiricism" also deviates from the thesis as Lev explores the relationship between faith and reason; the Church and science. I don't think she clarified effectively the difference between Aristotelian/Scholastic Empiricism and the modern Empiricism of Locke and Hume.The later chapters, on the martyrs, the dignity of women, and the war on sin get back on track, and Lev ends her analysis of faith and art with a discussion of Michelangelo's Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel. She also provides some good hints for making great Catholic art part of our lives; brief biographies of the major artists, photo credits, and a bibliography.The publisher's blurb highlights the many color plates: most of them are excellent, but a few are low resolution and rather grainy. At least once--when discussing the statue of St. Thomas the Apostle by le Gros in St. John Lateran--no image accompanies the text.This book deserves to be on the bookshelf next to Thomas E. Wood Jr.'s "How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization" and other historical, cultural apologetics like Rodney Stark's "Bearing False Witness".

You will learn things that your history teacher did not teach. GREAT BOOK

Beauty WILL save the world. I’ve believed that forever. I’ve heard it explained by learned Catholic speakers and read it in their books.But in THIS book, renowned Catholic art historian and author Elizabeth Lev beautifully lays out the “why” and the “how” of the post-Protestant Reformation Catholic Church’s flowering of painting and sculpture that rivals even that of the Renaissance. Her writing is clear, simple, funny, and passionate (I imagine she’s a DYNAMITE lecturer) and the book includes many gorgeous color photos.

In at least one of my two visits to Italy, the country's magnificent religious art seemed to get presented with minimal appreciation for its' spiritual significance. Elizabeth Lev's masterpiece is the antidote to that!Especially when you realize the identities of Ms. Lev's mom and husband - and the influence that they provided - this magnificent compendium of Italy's Counter-Reformation art seems all the more trustworthy! In addition to fascinating descriptions of the art, Ms. Lev provides wonderful, fascinating commentary on the Counter-Reformation. And her enthusiasm for the Faith is delightful.On top of everything else, Ms. Lev's paperback comes at a very accessible price.