This little book was enclosed with a thank you card by a friend. On the left is a work of art, on the right a few comments by Sister Wendy about how joy is expressed in the picture. I spaced them out through my days as a chance for a moment or two of quiet reflection from time to time. Then I slipped it into another thank you card and passed it along to another friend.

Anyone familiar with Sister Wendy's PBS programs will know what to expect from this title. Sister Wendy presents meditations on joy within the context of great works of art. A pure delight for art lovers and those wishing to delve into the spiritual aspects of the fine arts. Highly recommended.

If you are looking for a work that covers art history, from medieval religious paintings to abstract expressionism, look no further. There are 1,000 paintings shown in their authentic beauty. 500 of the world's greatest artists are featured.

Sister Wendy makes each piece of art an intellectual experience. She explains the paintings so you will never look at them again in the same way. How I wished she had been with me when I visited the Louvre a few years ago. Somehow, I felt I was missing some insight into the greatest art I would ever see. And by the way, the Mona Lisa's eyes did freak me out...they follow you!

While watching a recent special on Claude Monet, I realized there was so much more to the art than just the scene being painted. How did the artist feel when he created the work? What emotions is he trying to convey to the viewer? In Sister Wendy's book: Love: Meditations on Love, she brought a new meaning to Camille on Her Deathbed, and oil on canvas by Claude Monet. Since then, I have been intrigued with her observations. My mother has a bed spread based on a painting by Claude Monet. I love the art of Renoir much more, but one day we will travel to Paris together and really enjoy going to museums. For now, this book and local galleries will have to do!

If you are looking for in-depth information on each artist, you might however be a bit dissapointed. This book could not possibly hold that much information. What you will find is that you will gravitate to one artist or the other. In this way, this book is only the start of your journey. I only found one page on Renoir, but then discovered she has also written a book called: Sister Wendy's Impressionist masterpieces which now I must have!

This is a book to be savored. If you can sneak in a few minutes each day to look at a few pages, you will really enrich your life. After seeing this book, you will want to find more of Wendy Beckets inspirational books. This one will now have a permanent place on my coffee table!

If you can, visit the Louvre. They also have a tempting food court! Visit Paris and you will never regret it. Just don't only spend a weekend there, spend a entire week! There is way too much for an art lover to see in a weekend! The Louvre deserves at least two days at the very least. Plus, the food there is so worth going back for! I would highly recommend a tour because otherwise you might miss something important.

My favorite picture of all is "Sleeping Girl with Cat by Renoir, 1880." Write to me if you would like to know where to see the painting. No, it isn't in this book, sigh.

Art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self.
- Jean-Luc Godard

I love this book. The reproductions are fantastic, and although I don't always agree with the choice of artists and paintings (no two people could), it is undeniably a staggering array of great art. I cannot recommend this highly enough: it is the perfect single-volume work for anyone who wants an introduction to some of the world's greatest paintings.

A simply enjoyable book for those of us that appreciate art but do not have the time nor the resources to devote much time to it. One can sit down and just study one or two pictures and feel the sense of the picture. I have found my 13 year old paging through it at times and studying the pictures. I don't think I could get her to read too many other art books. Sister Wendy's reviews give us a place to start to think about what the artist was trying to achieve. Perhaps having this book in the home will lead to a greater interest and study. But, if not, it will surely make one appreciate the diversity and beauty of the art world over the centuries.

While Sister Wendy's intentions are admirable in her enthusiastic description of the best art to be found in American galleries, her interpretations often completely miss the point. For example, in talking about Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon at La Grande Jatte" (Art Institute of Chicago), she does not even mention it's companion work "Bathers at Asnieres", and so gives an extremely basic interpretation that completely undermines Seurat's socialist intentions in these two paintings. Anyone with more than a very fleeting interest in Art in general should steer well clear of this book, and if you're a student of Art History (like me), run a mile.

She's getting to be a habit with us, this Sister Wendy Beckett, renowned daughter of Christ, art historian and hostess of a widely-acclaimed small-screen series. Her heavenly philosophy - that there is something for everyone to love when it comes to art - is what has allowed her to become an icon for the great unwashed masses who don't know their beans about Goya. This thick tome, the companion volume to the upcoming PBS series of the same name, focuses on six American museums (including New York City's Metropolitan and Boston's MFA), from whose collections Sister Wendy has judiciously culled her own "American collection." Here, she shares her keen knowledge and indomitable enthusiasm and humor, demystifying art history while educating about style and technique. Quite the artful angel

First- the positive: This is a fresh look at art works that run the gamut from silver bowls to statues to paintings and more.

I particularly like the little side squares giving a little big of information about the artist. It might be a story, some facutal information, or information about other art made by this person.

In very limited space (one to two pages) Sister Windy is able to convey to the reader what it is she likes about each particular piece of art she included in her book. The brief history she gives about the painting only adds to the understanding of each artwork.

I also liked the fact that she didn't spend a lot of time analyzing the paint strokes, chisel marks etc. She didn't spend a lot of time discussing what the artist was trying to say or the political ramifications of each piece. She wrote clear, concise explanations about what she liked about each piece, what each piece was about, a short history of the time and the artist and the art work and left it at that. There are other books that you can buy about each artist, their work, their genre of work etc. if you want a more in depth look and more information that you will never remember.

Her enthusiasm for each piece she chose to place in this book is wonderful.

The pictures are glorious.

The negative: Proofreading. Two or three times I'd take a second look at the picture of the art because what was said in the text didn't match the words. (For example, in one she talks of the lady pulling the man's beard and as far as I can see it's his hair!)

Overall, this is a wonderful book. I found it very educational and enhlightening.

A great little book for any coffee table. If you have any interest in Sister Wendy, or porcelain figurines, or Muses, this is the book for you. Sister Wendy brings her charm and artistic experiance to this little book. The photos are splendid and in full color high quality color plates. For the price, you wont find a more inspiring art book for your favorite coffee table.

The book inspires the soul to love God and to love other people. In amazing ways, Sister Beckett shows the gift of artists to create love in their materpeices. One can look at the painting and see nothing untill he/she reads the meditation that opens up the world of love inside the paiting. It is amazing to see the creation of different kinds of love in the works of art that many people have seen before but could not figure out. The short and fascinating meditations create a glips of the world the way God intends it to be.

I love Sister Wendy. I really do. But this book can not be saved by anyone. The pictures are edited poorly. Some are too small, while others stretch across the binding in a cheap distracting fashion. I often found myself turning the book and saying, "Is that someone's head or foot?"

Sister Wendy rarely has much to say about most of the pieces in this book. No trademark historical, technical, or interesting little tid-bit. Just a few words about how much she likes this or that, no reason for her favoritism just a few words of positive acknowledgement.

Many other Sister Wendy books are well worth the money, but not this one.

Sister Wendy, true to the refreshing style of so many of her presentations, introduces us to a pleasing array of works of art throughout history and across cultures. Some choices are predictable and some surprising, refreshing. Her observations draw even a beginning explorer of the visual arts into a relationship with each work. The new photographs of each work are excellent and the reproductions therof are both good-sized and high quality. I found myself simply delighting at each treasure. One drawback: the designer of the book used many different type fonts on each page which are sometimes interesting and attractive and sometimes distracting and irritating.

I am a great admirer of Sister Wendy and highly recommend her A Child's Book of Prayer in Art as a five star book.

In this book, however, there are several instances where the painting details of which she is speaking don't appear in the book. On page 42 she states, "A desperate angel in the lower margin semaphores to them;..." This angel is not included. On page 91 the painting has apparently been printed backward or the text on the facing page reveals that neither Sister Wendy nor her proof rereaders can tell left from right. On page 62 the description seems not to be of the illumination opposite. The text states, "Even sadder is the figure on the left, seen moving away from the group into the loneliness of remorse. Judas,..." No one appears to be moving away and Judas is pictured as kissing Jesus. It is all annoying enough to make the book not worth the price, even with the Amazon discount.

The concept of the book is worthy; it covers the story of Jesus from Adam through Pentecost to Heaven using mostly previously unpublished pictures from the Vatican Libraries to celebrate the onset of the third Christian millenium. The purchase of A Child's Book of Prayer in Art would be a more apt celebration. Those seeking to explore the wonder of Jesus's birth with Sister Wendy would be better off with Sister Wendy's Story of Christmas.

Once again, Sister Wendy has produced a delightful book on art and religion. This one mostly deals with the birth of Jesus, but it touches upon the later events in his life as well. The paintings are tiny, from mostly anonymous artists from the late medieval period. When blown up to book size, these tiny paintings can look rather crude. But Sister Wendy zooms in on them with her spiritual microscope, and with her trademark contemplative style, draws forth from these miniatures profound spiritual revelations--meanings the artists probably never intended. At least not consciously. She then extends the "message" of the paintings into meditations on what their significance is to contemporary religious thought and life's contemporary moral dilemmas. You marvel at her perceptiveness.As another reviewer pointed out, there are some editing problems in the book. In a few instances, the paintings and their associated commentaries don't quite match up. But this flaw won't detract from your enjoyment of the book.I'm one atheist who is always happy to plunk down money for a new Sister Wendy book. And this one is certainly no exception. You'll want to re-read it during every Xmas season.

The fact that John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence" is not included in this book, shows a serious problem in this collection. What is the defining moment in American History? How about that event that started it all? This is one of the most important pieces of art in American History from many perspectives. Too much abstract artist included in this collection, with some of the biggies left out - decent book, but with several flaws.