From the time that pages of The Saint John's Bible began touring in major exhibitions nearly a decade ago, people have been moved, captivated, and inspired by this stunning work of modern sacred art. But they often have questions about the illuminations that are scattered throughout the Bible, especially as they first become familiar with it. Why was a certain Scripture passage chosen for illumination rather than another? What materials and source imagery are behind the illuminations? The Art of The Saint John's Bible provides answers to these important questions and many others.
Initially published in a series of three volumes, each book has now been revised by the author and included together in this single helpful volume. Since The Saint John's Bible is now complete, Susan Sink makes connections between recurring images and motifs throughout the work and reflects on the images with a view to the whole. Her book promises to intensify and expand the experience of all who come in contact with The Saint John's Bible.
Susan Sink is a poet and writer living on eighty acres in St. Joseph, Minnesota. She is the author of a book of poems, The Way of All the Earth, and Habits, a collection of one-hundred-word stories. Her work has been published in national literary magazines, including Poetry, Chicago Review, Santa Monica Review, and Spoon River Poetry Review. She is an oblate of Saint John's Abbey.
You can take a look inside here. This is due out later this month and is currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com.
This book (either in this updated form or in it's original 3-volume form) along with Fr. Michael Patella's recent book contain a lot of great commentary on the artwork found in the Saint John's Bible. I would add that I think it may be more important to first view and ponder the illuminations and nearby text for yourself, come to your own interpretation of them, then read what others have to say, not with the goal of replacing your own thoughts, but adding to them. In many cases, multiple diverging interpretations of the art are not only possible but taken together build up deep multi-layered dimensions of the art and what it is trying to express about the text.
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