Welcome!

This website works in tandem with the book Putting Art (back) in Its Place. Much of the book requires no illustrative photographs, but readers with a laptop or computer or pad at their side can scroll from photograph to photograph as these are referenced in the text of the printed book and indicated by an asterisk.

COMMENTS FROM READERS

Nicholas Wolterstorff (author of the recent Art Rethought: the social practices of art) says this about John Skillen’s book Putting Art (back) in Its Place:

”For those whose acquaintance with Italian Renaissance painting comes from a college art appreciation course or from being a member of a group touring the sights in Italy, Skillen's Putting Art (back) in Its Place will come as a stunning eye-opener. Renaissance paintings are typically abstracted from their contexts and treated as episodes in stylistic history. Skillen puts them back in their architectural, liturgical, and narrative contexts, and illuminates the social practices whereby the public at the time would have engaged them and whereby the public would, in turn, have been formed by them. The discussion is wide-ranging, deeply informed and insightful. Many times over I had the sense of scales falling from my eyes: ‘So that's what's going on in that chapel!’ ‘So that's what's going on in that painting’."

Rachel Hostetter Smith, Gilkison Distinguished Professor of Art History, Taylor University says:

"Using the early Renaissance in Italy as case study and model, Putting Art (back) in Its Place makes a powerfully persuasive argument for how art can and, more importantly, why art should play a significant role in shaping the life and aspirations of a community—civic or ecclesial. For those who ask why Italian Renaissance art and culture so captivates and conjures up a wistful longing for some lost ideal, this book provides at least part of the answer. Drawing on his many years of experience building intentional community for students in the hilltown of Orvieto, John Skillen skillfully unveils the power of works of art made for a particular people, place, and purpose and lays out a compelling vision for how art can inform—even shape—communal life in a voice that is truly his own—winsome, learned, and authentic."

Theodore Prescott, sculptor and Emeritus Professor of Art at Messiah College, writes:

“Putting Art (back) in Its Place has solid academic credentials, but it is not ‘academic’ in the sense that word is too often used. The book springs from John Skillen’s long residency in Italy and his intimate knowledge of Italian Renaissance art, and makes an impassioned argument that the visual arts can deepen our life together. He draws extensively from history to propose roles for art that are absent today, hoping that art might again live with us instead of continue its solitary confinement in museums and galleries.”

Bruce Herman, painter, public speaker, board member of IMAGE Journal, Lothlórien Distinguished Chair in the Fine Arts at Gordon College, says:

“Dr. John Skillen releases his long awaited book—which asks what role art can play at the heart of our communities (again!). He discusses powerfully the essential role it played in Italian culture over a 300 year period (before, during, and immediately after the Renaissance) revealing the depth of connection made to the deepest wellsprings of meaning and belonging.

Dr. Skillen then moves us into a receptive frame of mind, offering hope and challenge as we consider a vital place for art once again—putting it (back) to work in its capacity to ‘say’ those things embedded in memory, imagination, and the future vision of a people. A must read.”

John Mark Miller, Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts, Dallas Baptist University, writes:

“Putting Art (back) in Its Place is an excellent resource for those teaching classes in art appreciation and also for church leaders who long for quality music, architecture, and visual art in their churches once again. While dealing with topics that are at once historically rich and theologically deep, the book is approachable and easy to read for those with some background in the arts. As an added bonus, the book also offers access to a website which allows readers to visually see all of the pieces of art being discussed within the text—a wonderful advantage for today’s visually-oriented student.”