Sacred Art
Sacred art can be found in
virtually every culture of the world and is the product of a spiritual
sensitivity which seeks to express the divine in material representation.
Its forms are as diverse as paintings, illuminated manuscripts, mandalas,
arabesques and geometric patterns, carpets, mosaics and decorative arts,
and sculptures. The basic principles of sacred art reflect a complex interplay
between colour, design, pattern, symbolism, proportion and harmony.
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Mandala Symbolism
Carl Jung
Princeton University Press (1972)
The Sanskrit word ‘mandala’
literally means ‘circle.’ Carl Jung studied and painted mandalas
and used them in his therapy sessions with patients. In this seminal book
he discusses the symbolism and spiritual significance of the mandala. |
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Mandala
José and Miriam Argüelles
Shambala (1972)
This fully illustrated volume
examines the universality and principles of the mandala as an art form,
visualization tool and symbolic system, using examples from many of the
world’s spiritual traditions. |
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Cosmic Art
Raymond Piper and Lila Swann
Hawthorn (1975)
Cosmic or transcendental art
originates when an artist expresses an awareness of a larger, unseen spiritual
reality. This collection includes artistic works from various countries
of the world and different time spans. |
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Yoga Art
Ajit Mookerjee
Thames and Hudson (1975)
The abstract and geometric
images of Yoga art are based on complex systems of colours, numbers and
proportions. These basic design elements create visually compelling images
in the form of meditative patterns, mandalas and yantras. |
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Art of Islam
Titus Burckhardt
World of Islam Festival Publishing (1976)
Art of Islam explores
the spiritual dimensions and transcendental meaning of Islamic art using
examples from calligraphy, paintings, mosaics, arabesques, carpets and
mosques. |
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The Book of
Kells
Peter Brown
Thames and Hudson (1980)
The Book of Kells
is the most spectacular of a group of manuscripts created in Ireland between
the 7th and 10th centuries A.D. Considered a masterpiece of medieval art,
the intricate design and impeccable technique of this work of sacred art
is endlessly fascinating and spiritually uplifting. |
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Zen Art for
Meditation
Stewart Holmes and Chimya Horioka
Charles E. Tuttle (1981)
The great early Zen masters
of ink painting in China and Japan created “landscapes of the soul.”
They represent acts of intense contemplation, attempts to comprehend the
essential nature of the universe and the meaning of individual existence. |
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Unfolding
Through Art
Namgyal Rinpoche
The Open Path (1982)
Namgyal Rinpoche was a Canadian
teacher of Buddhism who utilized art and creativity as a path of spiritual
development. An exploration of the nature and principles of transformative
art is accompanied by examples of Rinpoche’s own art. |
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Buddhism:
Art and Faith
W. Zwolf, ed.
Macmillan (1985)
The book features important
works from the collection of Buddhist art in the British Museum. A survey
of Buddhist history and teachings is illustrated by paintings, sculptures,
prints, pottery, manuscripts, images and textiles. |
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The Realm
of Tibetan Buddhism
Li Jicheng
China Books (1985)
One of the expressions of Tibetan
Buddhism, pointing to the essence of its esoteric teaching, are works
of sacred art. The art works contained in this volume, originating from
sites in Tibet, are considered rare and valuable cultural artifacts. |
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Islamic Art
and Spirituality
Seyyed Nasr
State University of New York Press (1987)
The art forms of Islam are
inspired by a science and an understanding of nature based not on the
outer appearance of things, but on their inner reality. In a series of
essays, Nasr shows how a comprehension of the spiritual significance of
beauty can serve as the source of inspiration for the creation of sacred
art. |
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Zenga: Brushstrokes
of Enlightenment
John Stevens and Alice Rae Yelen
New Orleans Museum of Art (1990)
Zenga is a collection of ink
paintings and calligraphy by Japanese monks and masters which impart a
message of profound wonder and respect for the natural order. |
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Islamic Art
Barbara Brend
British Museum Press (1991)
From the Alhambra to the Taj
Mahal and the Dome of the Rock, Barbara Brend traces the development of
classic Islamic art - mosques, calligraphy, paintings and the decorative
arts - from the 7th through to the 20th century. |
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Oriental Carpet
Design
P. J. Ford
Thames and Hudson (1992)
One of the most beautiful art
forms in the world is the oriental carpet. With over 800 outstanding reproductions,
this volume is a comprehensive guide to traditional carpet motifs, patterns
and symbols. |
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Mandala: The
Architecture of Enlightenment
Denise Leidy and Robert Thurman
Shambhala (1997)
Sacred mandalas, the cosmological
diagrams of Hinduism and Buddhism, have captured the imagination of Westerners
for centuries. The images, drawn from Tibet, Nepal, Japan and Southeast
Asia, are both religious symbols and superb artwork. |
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Sacred Art
in East and West
Titus Burckhardt
Fans Vitae (2001)
In a series of essays, scholar
Titus Burckhardt examines the meaning, symbolism and spiritual use of
sacred art as expressed through Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism
and Taoism. |
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William Blake
Robin Hamlyn and Michael Phillips
Harry N. Abrams (2001)
William Blake was one of the
greatest British artists in history and provided an enormously varied
range of visual works - including prints, illuminated books, drawings
and paintings. All of his works reflect an underlying spiritual perception
and sensitivity. |
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Yantra: The
Tantric Symbol of Cosmic Unity
Madha Khanna
Inner Traditions (2003)
The yantra is both a complex
metaphysical symbol and a tool of magical ritual and meditation. It is
used in Tantra and Kundalini yoga to aid practitioners in their spiritual
journey to self-realization. |
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Painted Labyrinth:
The World of the Lindisfarne Gospels
Michelle Brown
The British Library (2004)
The Lindisfarne Gospels is
one of the finest works in the unique style of Hiberno-Saxon or Insular
art. This illustrated book describes the history and production of this
beautiful medieval manuscript, as well as introducing new findings about
it. |
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Treasures
of Islam
Bernard O’Kane
Duncan Baird Publishers (2007)
The Islamic world has produced
countless examples of sacred art throughout the centuries. Islamic artists
used diverse art forms such as paintings, calligraphy, geometric forms,
jewelry, illuminated manuscripts and mosaics to symbolize the divine through
the harmonious use of colour, pattern and proportion. |
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Islam: Art
and Architecture
Markus Hattstein and Peter Delius
H.F. Ullmann (2007)
The diversity of artistic expression
in Islamic art is captured in this beautifully illustrated book, which
explores the rich creativity of Islamic art and architecture from Moorish
Spain to India, from the time of the Ottoman empire to the present day. |
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The Art of
Buddhism
Denise Leidy
Shambhala (2008)
In this comprehensive survey
of Buddhist art, art historian Denise Leidy provides an accessible and
informative overview of the many expressions of the life and teachings
of the Buddha through paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, fresco, brushwork
and textile arts. |
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True Perception:
The Path of Dharma Art
Chögyam Trungpa
Shambhala (2008)
Tibetan Buddhist teacher and
artist Chögyam Trungpa calls “dharma art” any creative
work that springs from an awakened state of mind. He shows how the principles
of dharma art extend to everyday life by opening one's awareness to the
phenomenal world. |
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Mandalas of
Bali
Dewa Nyoman Batuan
Michael Wiese Publications (2009)
The book features the mandalas
of Balinese artist Dewa Nyoman Batuan, whose beautifully hypnotic designs
draw the observer inward to contemplate the wonders of the physical and
spiritual worlds. |
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Tao Te Ching:
An Illustrated Journey
Stephen Mitchell
Frances Lincoln (2009)
Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching
is a guide to the art of living in harmony with the Tao or essence
of the universe. Mitchell's translation is accompanied by classic Chinese
paintings chosen by Asian art expert Stephen Little. |
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Klee
Donald Wigal
Parkstone Press (2011)
Paul Klee was a prolific German
artist with an unmistakable style, impressive vision and spiritual depth.
The book presents many of Klee’s most acclaimed paintings spanning
the period 1913-40. |
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Kandinsky
Hajo Düchting
Taschen (2012)
Wassily Kandinsky once wrote
that “art has much in common with religion.” He was a highly
influential and revolutionary painter whose compositions expressed his
inner world through striking geometrical forms and patterns. |
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Miró
Janis Mink
Taschen (2012)
Spanish artist Joan Miró
produced a body of work that reached out to mythic dimensions, “touching
upon universal essences and rhythms.” Many of his archetypal images
are almost childlike, and full of wonder, humour and playfulness. |
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The Pure Joy
of Being
Fabrice Midal
Shambhala (2017)
The volume brings together
traditional Buddhist art with inspirational text describing the story
of the Buddha and the practice of meditation. The beautiful iconic images
are drawn from the great civilizations of Asia spanning the 2nd century
BCE to contemporary times. |
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Symbol of Divine
Light
Nicholas Stone
World Wisdom (2018)
Architect Nicholas Stone surveys
the history of the mosque lamp in Islamic culture and other spiritual
traditions – Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian, Hindu and Buddhist.
The more than 200 colour and b&w images illuminate the meaning and
significance of this timeless symbol of Divine Light. |
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