complex delight, A
Book Description
In this thought-provoking exploration of Western European art and spirituality, Margaret R. Miles reveals how religious meaning transforms across centuries through an unexpected lens: the symbolic representation of the female breast in painting and sculpture from 1350 to 1750.
Miles demonstrates how artistic depictions underwent a profound shift during these four transformative centuries. Where medieval art portrayed the Virgin's bare breast as a sacred symbol of divine nourishment and God's loving provision for humanity, later periods witnessed this same imagery becoming primarily erotic or clinical in nature. The breast had ceased to function as a vessel for religious meaning.
This fascinating study examines the complex social, cultural, and religious forces that gradually stripped the human body of its capacity to represent spiritual commitment and divine connection. Through careful analysis of artistic works, Miles uncovers how power structures evolved in early modern Europe and how women's lived experiences changed dramatically during this period.
The investigation reveals how art both reflects and actively shapes religious understanding, offering readers insight into the formation of modern Christianity's complicated relationship with the human body. Miles presents a nuanced portrait of how sacred symbols can lose their spiritual potency when overtaken by secular interpretations.
For those interested in the intersection of spirituality, art, and cultural transformation, this work offers a unique window into understanding how religious meaning develops and disappears across historical periods.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Short (< 200 pages) (~5 hours)
📄 Length: 196 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Bröst
- ✓ Explore Breast
- ✓ Explore Körper
- ✓ Explore Social aspects
- ✓ Explore Aktdarstellung
- ✓ Explore Människokroppen i konsten
- ✓ Explore Kunst
- ✓ Explore Human body
