Iconoclasm is one of the first visible expressions of revolution, political or religious. In the case of Haarlem in the Netherlands, the focus was the Catholic church of St. Bavo. Statues, reliquaries, crucifixes and all other representations of papal "idolatry" were taken down or destroyed. Mochizuki (art history and religion, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley) treats this event as the beginning of a paradigm change in both religion and art. First considering the emotional and religious impact of the late medieval art, she then describes the reshaping of art within the church in new, but equally iconic patterns. The word and the Word became the art. As in Islam, the repression of human representation meant that elaborately designed and ornamented text became the focus of devotion. This emphasizes both the philosophy behind the Dutch Reformed movement and also the increased literacy of the population. It is Moshizuki's goal to place the church ornamentation within the society for which it was created, relating it to other social movements in the Netherlands in the sixteenth and early seventeenth century. In this she succeeds admirably, demonstrating the religious impact of the new art forms as they were daily encountered. The relationship of art and theology, rather than simple religious story-telling, is rarely studied. This book makes one realize how essential the twofold study is for an understanding of a culture. Oversize: 9 x 11 " Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)