Artistic images show us the soul of human life

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat quote Thomas Moore's book, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life in their review of the PBS series "Art of the Western World", hosted by Michael Wood, now available on a three-DVD set. The Brussats write, "Throughout the nine hours of Art of the Western World, we had the same response as Thomas Moore did when he visits museums: we felt our souls come alive while viewing art by Michelangelo, Bernini, Goya, Van Gogh, and Miro. Wood engaged us in such a way that our faculty of reverie was called into play. In moments, we were reminded that a work of art brings out "the radiance." We want to linger and enjoy the painting or sculpture, or architecture." In his book, Moore observes,

"When we make our pilgrimage to the museum, we find images showing what the soul is made of, what my soul is made of. We celebrate those artists who powerfully and beautifully paint the secret sources of our lives. The images, so carefully made, educate our imagination in the precision, depth, range, and focus of human life. In a museum we see more of our souls than we could find through any means of introspective analysis."

Art of the Western World
Directed by Tony Cash, Geoff Dunlop
Athena Learning 09/11 DVD/VHS
Host: Michael Wood
This review includes the nine themes and spiritual exercises to accompany the program, supported by Shawn McNiff's view of art: "The pictures carry medicines, energies, creative spirits, and vitality that they will give to you freely."