Incredulous Awe

In his spirited attempt to understand a religious tradition he was not born into, Navid Kermani confronts great and neglected works of Christian art with an open heart and almost childlike curiosity. Kermani quarrels with the cross, falls in love with Mary’s gaze, attends an Orthodox mass and muses on the greatness of St Francis. His immensely instructive excursions on the paintings of old masters, Botticelli, Caravaggio and Rembrandt, elucidate questions concerning our lives today. With a sharp eye for detail, he traces hidden references to seemingly unrelated worlds – German literature, Islamic mysticism and even modern medical gymnastics. His poetic school of viewing is most seductive: we cannot get enough of his unique way of looking at Christianity and are longing to see with his eyes.