Between the Text and the Canvas: The Bible and Art in Dialogue(No. 13 The Bible in the Modern World)

Can a painting or illustration of a biblical scene help readers understand the Bible? Conversely, to what extent can knowledge about a biblical story help viewers appreciate an artist's portrayal of it? Interpreting biblical art is more than a matter of asking whether or not an artist 'got it right' or 'got it wrong'. This lively collection of essays seeks to establish a dialogue between the Bible and art that sees the biblical text and artistic representations of it as equal conversation partners. By looking at texts and canvases from different angles, the nine contributors to the volume reveal how biblical interpretation can shed important light on art, how art can contribute significantly to biblical interpretation and how each has something distinctive to offer to the interpretative task. Contributions include J. Cheryl Exum on Solomon de Bray's Jael, Deborah and Barak, Hugh S.Pyper on depictions of the relationship between David and Jonathan, Martin O'Kane on the biblical Elijah and his visual afterlives, Christina Bucher on the Song of Songs and the enclosed garden motif in fifteenth-century paintings and engravings of Mary and the infant Jesus, Ela Nutu on differences in the way female and male artists have represented Judith, Christine E. Joynes on visualizations of Salome's dance, Heidi J. Hornik on Michele Tosini's Nativity, Way to Calvary and Crucifixion as visual narratives, Kelly J. Baker on Henry Ossawa Tanner's The Annunciation and Nicodemus, and Christopher Rowland on William Blake and the New Testament.

Table of Contents:
List of Contributors viiAbbreviations xList of Figures xiINTRODUCTIONJ. Cheryl Exum and Ela Nutu 1SHARED GLORY: SOLOMON DE BRAY'S JAEL, DEBORAH AND BARAKJ. Cheryl Exum 11LOVE BEYOND LIMITS: THE DEBATABLE BODY IN DEPICTIONS OF DAVID AND JONATHANHugh S. Pyper 38THE BIBLICAL ELIJAH AND HIS VISUAL AFTERLIVESMartin O'Kane 60THE IMAGINATIVE EFFECTS OF EZEKIEL'S MERKAVAH VISION: CHAGALL AND EZEKIEL IN CREATIVE DISCOURSESally E. Norris 80THE SONG OF SONGS AND THE ENCLOSED GARDEN IN FIFTEENTH-CENTURY PAINTINGS AND ENGRAVINGS OF THE VIRGIN MARY AND THE CHRIST-CHILDChristina Bucher 95FRAMING JUDITH: WHOSE TEXT, WHOSE GAZE, WHOSE LANGUAGE?Ela Nutu 117VISUALIZING SALOME'S DANCE OF DEATH: THE CONTRIBUTION OF ART TO BIBLICAL EXEGESISChristine E. Joynes 145THE BIBLE AND THE SIXTEENTH-CENTURY PAINTER: NATIVITY, WAY TO CALVARY AND CRUCIFIXION AS VISUAL NARRATIVES BY MICHELE TOSINIHeidi J. Hornik 164PAINTING THE GOSPEL: HENRY OSSAWA TANNER'S THE ANNUNCIATION AND NICODEMUSKelly J. Baker 188WILLIAM BLAKE AND THE NEW TESTAMENT: THE PERSPECTIVES OF THE PICTURESChristopher Rowland 211Index of References 239Index of Authors 243

About the Author :
J. Cheryl Exum is Professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield.Ela Nutu is Research Associate, Department of Biblical Studies, University of Sheffield.