Restoring Moral Equilibrium

   “In the face of sorrow, imperfection, and the fleetingness of our affections and joys, we ask ourselves “Why”? We need reassurance. We look to art for the proof that life in this world is meaningful and that suffering is not the pointless thing it so often appears to be, but the necessary part of…

Gulpture in the Park

“… Abstraction came about through the ever-narrowing focus of aesthetic gaze. The post-modern offshoots of abstract art may seem to be engaged in the same artistic project; but the appearance is, it seems to me, deceptive. Post-modern abstraction is really construction, in which abstract elements are combined ab initio, and without reference to the natural…

Born to Walk Around on Crucifixion Ground

  “Two particular details about Roman crucifixion are of special interest to us in this book. First, it would not be much of an exaggeration to say that Jesus of Nazareth grew up under the shadow of the cross…The Galilee of Jesus’ boyhood, then, all knew about Roman crosses (Antiquities 17.286-98; War 2.66-79)…When he told…