The ancient Egyptians were the first to examine the afterlife in a book composed between 1567 and 1085 BCE. This collection of funerary texts has historically been referred to as the "Book of the Dead" or "Book of Going Forth by Day". For the Egyptians, the "Book of the Dead" was a vital part of the quest for immortality. Millennia later, the second "Book of the Dead", written in Tibet dating from the eighth century CE, tells a similar tale, but this journey has an entirely different end - rebirth here on earth, instead of in another world. "John Ransom Phillips: A Contemporary Book of the Dead" charts and affirms the Egyptian tradition of preparing for the afterlife by celebrating our earthly existence in all its fullness. Using watercolors on papyrus - an echo of the "Book of the Dead" incantations written on papyrus scrolls buried with mummies in ancient Egypt - this collection of colorful paintings creates a contemporary interpretation of how human beings contemplate their earthly and spiritual existence. Phillips' work is a vivid visual exploration into universal and timeless themes of life, love, fear, hope, and sublime happiness that combine into the human experience.
- ISBN13 9781555953157
- Publish Date 1 July 2009
- Publish Status Transferred
- Out of Print 7 May 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Hudson Hills Press Inc.,U.S.
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 328
- Language English