Songs of Glory: The Romanesque Facades of Aquitaine

In this beautifully written and expertly documented study, Linda Seidel challenges conventional definitions of Romanesque art. By means of a careful analysis of the elaborately decorated church facades of Aquitaine, she establishes the character of these carvings in relation to popular culture and worldly concerns at the time of the first and second Crusades, Seidel explains the art as a consciously eclectic combination of Roman, Carolingian, and Islamic elements and offers novel insights to account for the selection of such sources. In the process, she provides thought-provoking observations on relations between Christians and Muslims during this period. Seidel, drawing on material in social, religious, and literary history, skillfully explores artistic forms as a way of understanding a group's aspirations and self-image.