‘A Thousand Words: Reflections on Art and Christianity’

Retired art curator Mary Elizabeth Podles decodes the rich visual language of religious art.

"Christ Preaching" ("La Petite Tombe"), circa 1657, by Rembrandt van Rijn. Etching, engraving, and drypoint (first of two states); 6 1/4 inches by 8 1/4 inches. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Public Domain

They say “a picture paints a thousand words”—traditional art certainly does. But can a thousand words paint a picture of the lost language of art? American author and retired art curator Mary Elizabeth Podles hopes so.

Since 2012, she’s written “A Thousand Words,” a 1,000-word art column for Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity. Her recently published book, “A Thousand Words: Reflections on Art and Christianity,” features the first 62 articles of her column along with 13 new essays.