On the Strange Place of Religion in Contemporary Art

James Elkins is Professor of Art History, Theory and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Chair of Art History at University College, Cork, Ireland. Among his books are Pictures and Tears, VisualStudies: a Skeptical Introduction, What Painting Is,Stories of Art, and How to Use Your Eyes, all published by Routledge.

• Preface, The Words Religion and Art, A Very Brief History of Religion in Art, How Some Scholars Deal with the Question, Five Stories, Kim’s Story Explained: The End of Religious Art, Rehema’s Story Explained: The Creation of New Faiths, Brian’s Story Explained: Art that Is Critical of Religion, Ria’s Story Explained: How Artists Try to Burn Away Religion, Joel’s Story Explained: Unconscious Religion, Some Words to Describe Spiritual Art, Conclusions, Notes, Index

"For those searching for a way to broach the intriguing and complicated topic of religion in relation to cintemporary art, this book provides much to talk about..." --The Journal of Religion