Crucifixions and Resurrections of the Image: Reflections on Art and Modernity

George Pattison offers theological reflections on a range of works of art and films which have attracted wide discussion such as Anthony Gormley's 'Angel of the North'. Pattison takes seriously the modernist movement in art and constitutes an argument for its continuing relevance. The book centres on artists active in the mid- to late twentieth century, whose work reflects both the cultural and social crises of that era - Beuys, Rothko, Kiefer, Natkin and film directors such as Bergman and Tarkovksy. The studies are contextualized in broader reflections on modern art that suggest 'the death of God' as a motif that links theology and modern art itself. This enables a Christian theological engagement with works that often appear alien or even hostile to Christian faith. George Pattison takes the secular seriously in its own right, arguing that both secular art and theological reflection are often different but related responses to a common existential situation.