Image and Spirit: Finding Meaning in Visual Art

Image and Spirit: Finding Meaning in Visual Art by Karen Stone was published by Darton Longman and Todd in April 2003 and is our 49714th best seller. The ISBN for Image and Spirit: Finding Meaning in Visual Art is 9780232524871.

‘The ultimate goal of this book is the expansion of human insight, both spiritual and visual. If we allow Image and Spirit to guide us, we will surely make a significant step in the journey toward a deeper relationship with the God of creativity, imagination, and joy.’

From the Foreword by Susan J White ‘People who feel hostile, excluded or silenced when faced with certain types of art will especially appreciate this new way of seeing what’s before us. Stone provides a range of simple exercises which demystify the experience of looking, absorbing and interpreting. She entices us to go beyond the surface to engage with the heart of an image. Not only do we discover more about the artistic process, but we are led into an encounter with “otherness”.

Here are keys to unlock the hidden spiritual life of many forms of art, whether religious or not. Give time to these tasks and the rewards will be great.’ Sophie Hacker ‘Karen Stone understands more than most the inadequacy of words in exploring visual art. Nevertheless, or perhaps because of that, this book is an excellent resource both for those who love art and for those who think they don’t understand it – not least by reassuring us to have confidence in what we see.

Those who make that little extra effort to employ her approach to artworks will be richly rewarded – not only in their enjoyment, but more importantly in finding spiritual depths and meaning they might otherwise miss. It certainly made me want to rush out to a gallery and start looking with new eyes.’ Hilary Brand ‘I am excited about potential uses of this book in my own church setting … Image and Spirit liberates the reader from the esoteric and rather forbidding echelons of art criticism … Karen Stone makes clear her own command of contemporary art.

Through her examples, the images and words interact in a dynamic exchange to stimulate the reader’s imagination regarding new possibilities of representing spirit within the confines of matter …