1: !NECESSITY!
At last a book that bridges the gap of ambiguity between Christian art and art history. Didi-Huberman's eloquent investigation of both the painter (a Dominican, Fra Angelico) and the context (a Catholic theology within the Dominican Order) provides an insightful interpretation of images that most art historians tend to treat clinically. Didi-Huberman is well versed in not only iconography, but speaks fluently on the sources that influenced the Dominican painter (Holy Scripture,the works of Plato, and the theological writings of St. Thomas Aquinas). I highly recommend this book for artists, theologians, and art historians. This is a book that can forever alter the interaction between viewer and image, and will hopefully incite an awakening in how we interpret and understand the paintings of Quattrocento Florence. The original French probably offers the best read, but I will continue to hope for more English translations of Didi-Huberman's work.
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