God & History of Art 3-DVD Set

If you're looking for a fairly conservative, Christian overview of art history without additional art instruction, you'll want to take a look at this DVD set. In 12 lessons, author and Christian artist Barry Stebbing examines art masterpieces and great artists from a biblical perspective. Lessons include: "What is Art?," "The Second Commandment," "Early Christian Art," "Godly Periods of Art / Byzantine," "Christian Artists," "The Dark Ages / Monasteries," "The Gothic Period," "The Renaissance," "The Reformation," "French Neo-Classical Art," "American Artists," and "Other Artists and Styles." Each lesson runs approximately 15 minutes and is like sitting in an informative art lecture, with lots of examples of great masterpieces shown on-screen as they are discussed. Mr. Stebbing raises excellent questions and topics for the Christian and art lover to consider, and does a really nice job highlighting some Christian artists that you may not stumble across in a secular art appreciation book. Although recommended for ages 12 and up, (probably because the content is not likely to spark a young child's interest), the artwork depicted tends to be biblical in content and shows little nudity. In an area like art appreciation where many families feel like they must tread very carefully, it's refreshing to find a resource that emphasizes the Christian aspects of art. Jess