Junkyard Wisdom

The National Gallery in London currently has an exhibit of rare Italian alterpieces.  The book Devotion by Design by Scott Nethersole is the official publication that documents this beautiful collection of Christian artwork.  If you ever wanted to learn about how alters are built, painted, transported, or even imagined, this is a great resource.

My recent visit to London allowed for a few hours in the National Gallery.  About the time we were ready to go, my son Jedd told me about this great exhibit.  I had overlooked it somehow, so I rushed back into the Gallery to see what I could.  It was an impressive exhibit that displayed Italian alterpieces as both art and devotional items.  They even had one room lit by candle, which allowed you to see the work as a faithful Italian might have in the 16th Century.

The book is, obviously, a very narrow and specific work.  And I wonder if anybody who has not seen the exhibit would get much out of it.  Still, I learned a great deal about the history of alterpiece art and fill it was well worth reading.