Imaging the spiritual quest

As an element in human societies, religion forms part of the backdrop against which artists have worked in the past and present. Today, artists work in a world in which the place, role, and authority of religious traditions and institutions have changed, a process that began with the dawn of the modern era. Although the authority and influence of organized religion has declined in Western Europe and North America, interest in spirituality (itself a broad category of practices and beliefs) continues to be on the increase. At the same time, some artists today engage the phenomenon of spirituality in their own work, and scholars continue to explore the relationships between art, religion, and spirituality. This collection of essays by scholars and artists explores the intersections of art, religion, and spirituality in Finland and abroad, both in the past and today.