Sacred and Profane Beauty: The Holy in Art

Sacred and Profane Beauty: The Holy in Art

Gerardus van der Leeuw was one of the first to attempt a rapprochement between theology and the arts, and his influence continues to be felt in what is now a burgeoning field. Sacred and Profane is the fullest expression of his pursuit of a theological aesthetics, surveying religion's relationship to all the arts -- dance, drama, literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, and music. This edition makes this seminal work, first published in Dutch in 1932, newly available. A new foreword by Diane Apostolos-Cappadona analyzes the continuing relevance of van der Leeuw's thought.

"Gerardus van der Leeuw was one of the first to attempt a rapprochement between theology and the arts, and his influence continues to be felt in what is now a burgeoning field. Sacred and Profane is the fullest expression of his pursuit of a theological aesthetics, surveying religion's relationship to all the arts -- dance, drama, literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, and music"--Amazon.com.

Gerardus van der Leeuw

London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson

Preface by Mircea Eliade; translated by David E. Green

Introduction. Rivalry or ultimate unity? ; What is the holy? ; Methodology ; Can art be a holy act? ; "Primitive" and "modern" ; Organization -- Part one : Beautiful motion. The unity of dance and religion ; The breakup of unity ; Enmity between dance and religion ; Religious dance : influences ; Religious dance : harmony ; The theological aesthetics of the dance -- Part two : Movements and countermovements. Holy play ; The breakup of unity ; The enmity between religion and theater ; Influences : harmony ; The theological aesthetics of the drama -- Part Three : Beautiful words. Holy words ; The breakup of unity ; The rejection of the word by religion ; Influences toward harmony ; The theological aesthetics of the word -- Part four : The pictorial arts. The fixation of an idea as a holy image ; Unhindered pictorial representation ; The prohibition of images and the iconoclastic controversy ; The holy image : influences -- Part five : The house of God and the house of man. The building of the house of God ; The house of God becomes a human house : alienation and conflict ; Influences toward harmony ; The theological aesthetics of building -- Part six : Music and religion. Holy sound ; The transitional structure ; Discord ; Influences ; Harmony ; The theological aesthetics of music -- Part seven : Theological aesthetics. Paths and boundaries ; The republic of the arts ; The image of God ; The theology of the arts.

Beautiful motion. The unity of dance and religion -- The breakup of unity -- Enmity between dance an religion -- Religious dance : influences -- Religious dance : harmony -- The theological aesthetics of the dance -- Movements and countermovements. Holy play -- The breakup of unity -- The enmity between religion and theater -- Influences : harmony -- The theological aesthetics of the drama -- Beautiful words. Holy words -- The breakup of unity -- The rejection of the word by religion -- Influences toward harmony -- The theological aesthetics of the word -- The pictorial arts : The fixation of an idea as a holy image -- Unhindered pictorial representation -- The prohibition of images and the iconoclastic controversy -- The holy image : influences -- The house of God and the house of man. The building of the house of God -- The house of God becomes a human house : alienation and conflict -- Influences toward harmony -- The theological aesthetics of building -- Music and religion. Holy sound -- The transitional structure -- Discord -- Influences -- Harmony -- The theological aesthetics of music -- Theological aesthetics. Paths and boundaries -- The republic of the arts -- The image of God -- The theology of the arts.

Book