About this book

For centuries, Bible stories andancient Greek and Roman mythology were the main subjects of Western art.Old Masterssuch as Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, and countless othersrendered these stirring, poignant, bloodthirsty, and even erotic tales on panel or canvas, in the process creating a familiar way of visualizing our collective imagination. In How to Read Bible Stories and Myths in Art, Patrick De Rynck, examines over two hundred of these works. The result is a book that explores the roots of Western civilization from three different angles: It introduces or re-introduces the reader to the best-known stories from the Bible and mythology; it presents a selection of exquisite masterpieces by… Read more

For centuries, Bible stories andancient Greek and Roman mythology were the main subjects of Western art.Old Masterssuch as Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, and countless othersrendered these stirring, poignant, bloodthirsty, and even erotic tales on panel or canvas, in the process creating a familiar way of visualizing our collective imagination. In How to Read Bible Stories and Myths in Art, Patrick De Rynck, examines over two hundred of these works. The result is a book that explores the roots of Western civilization from three different angles: It introduces or re-introduces the reader to the best-known stories from the Bible and mythology; it presents a selection of exquisite masterpieces by some of the worlds greatest painters; and it shows the reader how these painters interpreted these famous scenes. De Ryncks journeyand his conclusionswill fundamentally change the way we look at art.