Description
This book takes the reader on a unique journey through visionary art of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the nineteenth century. The illustrations are accompanied by selections from the apocalyptic Revelation of St. John the Divine as well as from Les Visions du chevalier Tondal (The Visions of Tondal), a Burgundian illuminated manuscript in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum.Extracts of texts from the Revelation are referenced by chapter and verse. Illustrating the texts written by the creator of The Visions of Tondal are the actual images from this influential chronicle of a visit to the next world. These dramatic texts are illuminated by some of the world's most compelling apocalyptic imagery, from the extraordinary creatures depicted by Hieronymus Bosch to Michelangelo's powerful Last Judgement to William Blake's mystical prophetic paintings.
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One of the most definitive visions of a new age is described in the Revelation of St. John the Divine, from which the title of this beautiful volume is taken: "I was in the Spirit of the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last."For many people, the year 2000 has profound significance. Over the centuries humanity has dreamed of a better world and many predictions of an apocalypse preceding a golden age have been timed to coincide with the millennium.Alpha and Omega contains extracts from the Revelation of St. John theDivine and magnificent apocalyptic images. From works by artists ranging from Hieronymus Bosch to Michelangelo to William Blake, as well as miniatures from manuscripts in the Getty Museum, the visionary power of the images in this book combined with its resounding prosecreate a timely anthology befitting this extraordinary year.
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