Scenes from the Bible: Classic Illustrations from Gustave Doré

I am sometimes asked to recommend an art book for church libraries. Given the various sensibilities of church members regarding what is acceptable or not, this is not the easiest task to accomplish. It is further complicated by the definition of what one considers to be ‘Christian art’. I think that art can be Christian without actually depicting a scene from the Bible.

We have talked previously in this column about aesthetic evaluation – how to determine if art is ‘good’ or not – and I have laid out the classical trio of truth, goodness, and beauty as the best method for such evaluation. So for example, a painting that depicts Daniel in the Lion’s Den, might serve as an illustration while telling the story to children, while at the same time being of extremely poor aesthetic quality, thus making it ‘bad art.’ That being the case, we have to examine why we feel compelled to expose our children to such mediocrity, even if it is sincere mediocrity.

On the other hand, a still-life painting that depicts a vase of flowers, a dog sleeping on the porch, a man building a house, or other such everyday scenes can in fact display more of God’s glory by displaying truth, goodness, and beauty. I hope we have already established this point month-by-month through these columns, especially the ones that focus on the worldview of the art.

Now, let’s get back to the original point. Is there a great illustrated book of art out there that is especially suited for churches? Probably not.

But perhaps the place to start is by purchasing a book that does in fact have ‘Bible scenes’ as the focus, and one that for the most part has a high aesthetic quality throughout. It would be great if the book contained art from many different artists and many different periods.

Here is a book that fits some of the criterion. It is a collection of the artwork of Gustave Doré titled Scenes from the Bible. While lacking the broad exposure of many artists and periods, it does convey a wealth of quality depictions of Biblical stories.

Gustave Doré (1832-1883) was an engraver, sculptor and illustrator from France. His wood and steel engravings illustrated books by Lord Byron, Cervantes, Poe, but I think he is best known for his Biblical illustrations. It was for these that he became famous in his own lifetime, and for which he reaped the most financial success and acclaim.

Moving from Genesis to Revelation, this collection contains scenes from just about every Bible story you can imagine. Being engravings, they are all in black-and-white, and utilize contrasting light to bring forth the focus of the scenes.

Often, Doré seems to have taken pains to gain knowledge of historical detail, and then sometimes he doesn’t. When he painted fish, you have to wonder if he had ever even seen a living specimen!

When a Biblical story contained violence, Doré did not back away from revealing the ugliness of the moment– the head of John the Baptist, David killing Goliath, the bears killing the youth who mocked Elijah, etc.

One aspect of Doré’s work that I really appreciate is how when the Biblical story contains an element of God’s power and might, His power and might is the central focus of the picture – “Elijah Destroys the Messengers of Ahaziah by Fire.” When the scene calls for a display of divine magnificence, then that is exactly what we see.

When you open the book, each of the pages on the left displays the title of the piece, a verse of Scripture, and a brief paragraph explaining the text and engraving. On the right hand side is the engraving itself.

Will this book satisfy everyone? No, but I think it serves its’ purpose well, and would make a good contribution to your family or church library.

W. Scott Lamb is a pastor with Providence Baptist Church in South St. Louis County, MO. He and his wife Pearl enjoy the challenges and pleasures of raising their four sons. Feel free to contact Scott at www.truthinartblog.com.