In a painting depicting Jesus, just after Pilot has sentenced him to death, each viewer sees himself or herself as a hateful member of the mob crying for Christ's blood. The painting has been hidden for hundreds of years. Now, found by a New York gallery owner, it shakes the few he dares show it to, to their foundations. But this isn't the story of the painting, as much as the twentieth century artist who travels to Germany to piece together the story of the painting.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books I've ever read,
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This review is from: Shape of Illusion (Hardcover)
In a painting depicting Jesus, just after Pilot has sentenced him to death, each viewer sees himself or herself as a hateful member of the mob crying for Christ's blood. The painting has been hidden for hundreds of years. Now, found by a New York gallery owner, it shakes the few he dares show it to, to their foundations. But this isn't the story of the painting, as much as the twentieth century artist who travels to Germany to piece together the story of the painting. Martin Heidegger the German Philosopher talks about art in terms of a temple where the gods have fled, and the true artist being someone who can bring them back. Barrett is a master at creating a sense of the spiritual in his readers. In Shape of Illusion he brings life into the temple of the human spirit. Don't get me wrong. Although Barrett was Catholic and his books reflect that, there is no secularism in this story. In fact the protagonist is a agnostic and his beliefs don't change. But his sense of something powerful outside himself does. And the way he figures out he's met the girl he's supposed to marry is worth the read alone.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
great premisse, perhaps not fully explored,
By A Customer
This review is from: Shape of Illusion (Hardcover)
A 29 year old painter is confronted with a painting. It represents the inner court yard of Pontius Pilatus' palace. Pilatus has just washed his hands. There are Roman soldiers, a croud of agitated jews, and ofcourse a battered Jesus. At first glance people admire the painting as a technical masterpiece. But very soon, scanning details of the picture, every spectator sees his own face somewhere in the painting. Perhaps a jew throwing rocks at Jesus, perhaps a stoic soldier. Some people run away, ashamed before the others (not knowing everybody only sees himself), some people look inward for the truth of things. And the young painter goes on a quest in order to find out who has painted this remarkeble painting. Not 5 stars, because the painting gradually becomes secundairy on the quest, which is not my favorite plot twist.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting,
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This review is from: Shape of Illusion (Hardcover)
This is the 3rd book I have read by this author. I like his books because the main character is always a deep, philosophical person who accepts and questions thing. They all have a religious discussion going on in them.This book is about a group of men interested in art who are shown an old painting of the crowds condemning Jesus carrying his cross. They see their faces painted on the characters in this painting that was painted in the 1600's. In order to discover more about this unknow painter one of the group, who is an artist himself, travels to the german town to do some research. He meets a young woman on his trip who is there to report on a play of the life of Jesus that is performed every 10 years. The main character sees this play with her. Unfortunately all his books have the two lovers start out not liking each other or at least are neutral to each other eventually falling in love. It kind of makes his books more "assembly line" books. What I do like is all the discussion that go on between the characters i.e about faith, religion, spirtuality. In the book "A Woman in the House" that I read I wished I had written down lots of the philosophical phrases that the main character speaks. They are quite interesting. Anyway, this is not one of his better books. Kind of boring and predictable.
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