The Landscape of Belief by John Davis
This work tells the story of the 19th-century American painters who flocked to the Holy Land, a world of striking vistas that, in their eyes, reflected a powerful image of the United States. In the Holy Land, they saw a metaphor for their own country, created for a modern chosen people.
The Landscape of Belief is carefully researched, tightly organized, powerfully argued, beautifully written, and theoretically richDavis has added enormously to our understanding of 19th-century American religious and political culture as well as 19th-century American landscape painting and photography in a study that elegantly balances the demands of the object with those of its context. -- Gail E. Husch Art Bulletin John Davis has produced an outstanding contribution to this expanding field of study. His book, The Landscape of Belief, is a wonder-filled treatment of nineteenth-century art and culture in regard to the American fascination with the Middle East. -- Paul Gutjahr Winterthur Portfolio Davis... explores the young nation's fascination with the Holy Land, who travelled there, how they recorded what they saw in diaries, photographs and paintings, and how the resulting iconography was put to use back home. Washington Post Book World From the beginning, America's self-concept involved the Holy Land... In the minds of many, America was the promised land... Davis rightly underscores the irony that the Holy Land's people presented a threat to some Americans' sense of mental ownership. -- Mary Werner Marien The Christian Science Monitor
John Davis is Priscilla Paine Van der Poel Associate Professor in Art History at Smith College. He is coauthor of Collections of the National Gallery of Art: American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780691043739 |
| ISBN 10 | 0691043736 |
| Title | The Landscape of Belief |
| Author | John Davis |
| Series | Princeton Series In 19th Century Art Culture And Society |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Princeton University Press |
| Year published | 1996-01-28 |
| Number of pages | 351 |
| Prizes | Runner-up for Choice Magazine Outstanding Reference/Academic Book Award 1996 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |