Jean-Pierre Isbouts (born 1954) is a professor in the Social Sciences PhD program of

Fielding Graduate University Fielding Graduate University (previously Fielding Graduate Institute and The Fielding Institute) is a Private university, private Postgraduate education, graduate-level university in Santa Barbara, California. It offers postgraduate and doctoral ...

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, and an archaeologist, author, screenwriter, director, and producer of works addressing various historical periods, particularly the time period of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

and that of

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and post-Renaissance art.

Biography

Education and early works

Born in

Eindhoven Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, Isbouts studied

Attic Greek Attic Greek is the Greek language, Greek dialect of the regions of ancient Greece, ancient region of Attica, including the ''polis'' of classical Athens, Athens. Often called Classical Greek, it was the prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige diale ...

and

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, archaeology, art history and musicology at

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

in 1980. He received his PhD from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in New York, writing his dissertation on the American Beaux-Arts architecture firm of

Carrère and Hastings Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was an American list of architecture firms, architecture firm ...

. In 1983, Isbouts wrote and directed one of the first

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

works specifically created for the

LaserDisc LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. It was developed by Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer, and the movie studio MCA Inc., MCA. The format was initially marketed in the United State ...

format, and "the first successful commercial videodisc to index and show art works".Joe Saltzman, "Fine art", ''The San Francisco Examiner'' (8 August 1983), p. B12. The piece, ''Van Gogh Revisited'', was one side of ''Vincent Van Gogh: A Portrait in Two Parts'', examining the life and works of

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

; the other side features a performance of the one-man-play by its author and co-director of the project,

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy ( ; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor and director, famous for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes Development of Spock, originating Spock in Star Trek: T ...

. Isbouts, as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

, expanded this into a Great Arts Series by 1991, with multiple installments allowing users to "explore art galleries and paintings while listening to music of the period", including installments on ''The French Impressionists'' (1991), ''The Art of the Czars'' (1992), and ''Dutch Masters of the 17th Century'' (1993). In 1995, having formed the production company Pantheon in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, Isbouts extended his interests to the historical backdrop of

, directing a four-hour "multimedia presentation of New Testament stories from the birth of Jesus to his Crucifixion and Resurrection" narrated by

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

, the first production of the series, ''Charlton Heston's Voyage through the Bible''.Dan Bennett, "Charlton Heston's Hollywood", ''North County Times'' (18 October 1998), p. E1. In 1996, he produced '' Hamlet: The Game'', a CD-ROM game of Shakespeare's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'', combining material provided from the 1996 film adaptation by

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...

with original footage, animation, and games and puzzles.

Writing and documentary directing career

Through his documentary work with Heston, in 1998 Isbouts came to coauthor ''Charlton Heston's Hollywood'' with the actor. In 2000, Isbouts presented a three-part series examining ancient cultural and religious prophesies, In 2001, Isbouts directed '' Walt: The Man Behind the Myth'', a biographical documentary film about

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

, narrated by

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. Dick Van Dyke on screen and stage, His work spans screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Dick Van Dyke, his awards includ ...

. In 2008, Isbouts directed '' Operation Valkyrie: The Stauffenberg Plot to Kill Hitler'', on

Operation Valkyrie Operation Valkyrie () was a German World War II emergency Continuity of government, continuity-of-government operations plan issued to the Replacement Army, Territorial Reserve Army of Germany to implement in the event of a general breakdown in n ...

, which was noted as showing "the advantages offered by a film treatment of a topic" as compared to accounts in print.Anthony Brundage, ''Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing'' (2017), p. 74-75. In November 2012, Isbouts again returned to Biblical history, publishing ''In the Footsteps of Jesus'' with ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

''. In 2016, Isbouts published two additional books, ''Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era'', also with ''

''; and ''Ten Prayers that Changed the World''. A 2020 ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

'' article noted that "Isbouts has two main passions: the message of the historical Jesus and the artists who shared and represented those sentiments". A musicologist, Isbouts also produced recordings for several of his films.

Investigations of the ''Mona Lisa'' and Leonardo da Vinci

In October 2013, Isbouts published another book examining a Renaissance art theme, '' The Mona Lisa Myth'', examining the history and events behind the ''

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, ...

'' in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

and the ''

Isleworth Mona Lisa The ''Isleworth Mona Lisa'' is an early 16th-century oil on canvas painting depicting the same subject as Leonardo da Vinci's ''Mona Lisa'', though with the subject (Lisa del Giocondo) depicted as being a younger age. The painting is thought to ...

'', endorsing the two-''Mona Lisa'' theory and confirming the latter's attribution to Leonardo. A companion film was released in March 2014, also directed by Isbouts, with narration by

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

. Describing his first examination of the ''Isleworth Mona Lisa'', Isbouts related that he was "sceptical but intrigued", stating, "I walked into the vault, it was very cold in there, and I spent about two hours with that painting. But after five minutes I recognised that this had to be a Leonardo". He described being "absolutely floored" by the quality of the preservation and the "intense luminosity of the face". Isbouts presented a theory that the ''Isleworth Mona Lisa'' is an earlier work by Leonardo, and is the original portrait of the Florentine subject, "while the ''Mona Lisa'' in the Louvre is an allegorical representation of the Madonna Annunziata". He further noted that "24 of 27 recognised Leonardo scholars have agreed this is a Leonardo". In his 2017 book, ''Young Leonardo: The Evolution of a Revolutionary Artist, 1472-1499'', also coauthored with Brown, Isbouts presents a theory that Leonardo also painted two versions of ''

The Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, '' The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic, 700 x 880 cm (22.9 x 28.8 ...

'', with the second being a replica of the first painted on canvas at the request of

Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...

. In 2019, the pair published ''The da Vinci Legacy: How an Elusive 16th-Century Artist Became a Global Pop Icon''. That same year, Isbouts edited and wrote a section of ''Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa: New Perspectives'', further exploring the evidence of Leonardo having painted the ''Isleworth Mona Lisa''.

Works

Books

*''The Dalí Legacy'' (Apollo Publishers, 2020), with Christopher Heath Brown *''Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa: New Perspectives'' (Fielding University Press, 2019), as editor and contributing author *''The Da Vinci Legacy'' (Apollo Publishers, 2019), with Christopher Heath Brown *''The Search for Heaven: A historian investigates the case for the afterlife'' (Pantheon Press, 2019) *''The Angels of War: A Novel of World War I'' (Pantheon Press, 2018) *''Young Leonardo: The Evolution of a Revolutionary Artist, 1472-1499'' (

Thomas Dunne Books Thomas Dunne Books was an imprint of St. Martin's Press, which is a division of Macmillan Publishers. From 1986 until April 2020, it published popular trade fiction and nonfiction. History The imprint signed David Irving, a scholar, for a Joseph ...

, 2017), with Christopher Heath Brown *''Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era'' (

, 2016) *''Ten Prayers That Changed the World'' (

, 2016) *''Jesus: An Illustrated Life'' (

, 2015) *''The Story of Christianity: A Chronicle of Christian Civilization From Ancient Rome to Today'' (

, 2014) *'' The Mona Lisa Myth'' (Pantheon Press, 2013), with Christopher Heath Brown *''Angels in Flanders: A Novel of World War I'' (Pantheon Press, 2013) *''National Geographic's Who's Who in the Bible'' (

, 2013) *''National Geographic's In the Footsteps of Jesus'' (

, 2012) *''From Moses to Muhammad: The Shared Origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam'' (2011) *''Young Jesus: Restoring the "Lost Years" of a Social Activist and Religious Dissident'' (

Sterling Publishing Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. is a publisher of a broad range of subject areas, with multiple imprints and more than 5,000 titles in print. Founded in 1949 by David A. Boehm, Sterling also publishes books for a number of brands, including AA ...

, 2008) *''National Geographic's The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas'' (

, 2007) *'' Charlton Heston's Hollywood'' (GT Publishing, 1998), with Charlton Heston

Filmography

References

External links

*
Fielding Graduate University page on Jean-Pierre Isbouts, DLitt

Personal website of Jean-Pierre Isbouts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isbouts, Jean-Pierre 1954 births Living people People from Eindhoven Leiden University alumni Columbia University alumni Dutch art historians Dutch documentary film directors Leonardo da Vinci scholars Dutch Christians 20th-century Dutch archaeologists 20th-century Christians