Diane Apostolos-Cappadona

Mary Magdalene: A Visual History by Diane Apostolos-Cappadona is a fascinating read with a wealth of wonderful illustrations.

I found her explanations in the Introduction both interesting and essential to gaining a full appreciation of what follows. What is it she is going to do in the book, how scholars like her define and use certain terms, and, since the topic of analyzing anything religious can evoke strong emotions from readers, what she isn't trying to do here. I appreciate the fact show more she tries to make things as clear as possible, which sometimes means reminding the reader of something mentioned a few pages previous in one context and now used in a different context. While I think the entire book is accessible for a reader with an interest, it is the Introduction that might come closest to being too "academic" in tone. If you start reading it and don't feel the work is worth it, skip it, the rest of the book is still a great read. Maybe you'll want to come back to it later.

Apostolos-Cappadona weaves the sources about Mary and how they were used into a beautiful tapestry. While the art often served to fill in "the space between" from the sources, based on what each period and culture was seeking at the time, this book helps the contemporary reader to look at these works within their cultural contexts. It doesn't mean we can't question why a certain placement is where it is in an image, but we need to include in our assessment what it meant to the people creating and viewing the works at that time.

Highly recommended for those with an interest in Christian iconography and/or Mary Magdalene in particular. While this book focuses on one person, there is a lot for scholars (or scholars-to-be) to learn about how one can contextualize a historic overview of any subject at the intersection of art and any other topic, in this case theology.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Pros: lots of photos, highly informative

Cons: a bit repetitious

Mary Magdalene is a fascinating saint. From simple origins, a few mentions in the New Testament, to becoming amalgamated with other New Testament Marys, to having a variety of stories about where she spent her later years (Ephesus or France), being a sinner, a penitent, a preacher, a feminist icon, her story is constantly evolving.

The book starts with an introduction before separating into two parts. Part One: Towards a Visual show more History, consists of 7 chapters (Scripture Sources, Patristic Sources, Eastern Christian Narratives & Traditions, Western Christian Narratives & Traditions, Symbols & Devotions, Mary Magdalene through Christian Art, and Coda). This part examines what the scriptures say about the various Marys that were amalgamated into the story of Mary Magdalene and how ‘her’ story was depicted in art through the years. The second part, Motifs, consists of 10 chapters that analyzed specific aspects of Mary Magdalene, and how those were depicted in art (Sinner/Seductress, Penitent, Anointer, Weeper, Witness, Preacher, Contemplative, Reader, Patron, and Feminist Icon). These are short chapters, of 3 to 5 pages each, with 1 to 2 photographs highlighting their subject. The book concludes with an afterward that mentions exhibitions focused on Mary Magdalene and a select bibliography for further reading.

I found the introduction fairly repetitive and a bit harder to parse than the rest of the text. Part one had some great foundation information about how Mary’s story began and developed. It was really interesting seeing how parts of her legend came about. The chapters were thorough and easy to read. While each chapter in part 2 was short, the author packed a lot of great information into them, including mentions of her in early Christian and apocryphal writings. There’s some repetition here as well, though I suspect it’s so each chapter stands on its own. There were occasional page notes with sources for other articles and books to read for more information and a few explanatory notes.

The book has a lot of excellent colour photographs that demonstrate the points the author is making. They cover the variety of motifs Mary Magdalene was used to represent, as well as the various periods during which she has been worshipped.

If you’re interested in Christian saints in general or Mary Magdalene in particular, it’s a fantastic book. show less

I enjoyed the pictures most in this read, lol--especially of a painting by a Russian artist that is currently housed in the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, in Gethsemane/Jerusalem. I've seen that church several times while in Jerusalem and wanted to visit, but alas--not yet! One day!

The writing style of this book really wasn't for me--it read too scholarly for my taste; I wasn't always sure what the author was trying to say. So, I ended up looking at the pictures more than show more anything, and found them the most interesting element of the read.

I think the material would have been of particular interest and relevance presented as a blog or video lecture series.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less