Imagining Heaven : Depictions of the Afterlife in World Art Across the Millennia.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Williams, Ellen W.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Heaven in art.

Future life in art.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (331 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Jefferson : McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2024.

Summary:

"Over the centuries, humans have conjured images-the stuff of dreams, convictions, and ardent desire-to describe our afterlife. The vision of heaven eye can appear as simple as a place among the stars or as complex as a universe filled with a multitude of busy souls. Positioned at the intersection of art, religion, and culture, this book sheds new light on human creativity in its portrayal of the afterlife. Beginning with prehistoric burial objects that help with one's heavenly needs, it travels through history to probe ancient texts, examines enigmatic carvings, dissects the meaning of paintings, and discusses contemporary perspectives in film and media. The author demonstrates that humans around the world have always had the capacity to confront the "final frontier" in spirited, hopeful, and beautiful ways"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Acknowledgments

Preface

Timeline

Introduction

1. Through the Mists of Time

2. "In those days, in those ­far-off days"

3. A Multimedia Guide to the Afterlife

4. The Bridge

5. The World to Come

6. An Afterlife for Poet, Philosopher, Painter

7. "In My Father's house are many mansions"

8. To the Garden

9. For the Benefit of Lady Dai

10. The Cosmic Body

11. In the Company of Gods

12. Realms of Existence

13. The Way of Immortality

14. A Traveler "enters the road"

15. Life from Death

16. Becoming Huaca, a Holy Thing

17. Where Land Meets Sky

18. The Ancestors

19. At the Crossroads

20. Wakan Tanka, the Great Mystery

21. Personal Visions

22. We Are Spirits Passing On

23. A Mother There

24. "What if God was one of us?"

25. Other Heavens in the Universe

26. The Hope of Heaven

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Other Format:

Print version: Williams, Ellen W. Imagining Heaven

ISBN:

1-4766-4991-X