Art and Controversy

I think I've bitten off more than I can chew when I picked this topic out. Maybe a bit too early to go this route and is why that I didn't have this blog up in time for Sunday. But, it's what I wanted to do so I'm hoping it all works out. I had so much trouble figuring out what I should say. Should I keep out my opinions and just give the facts let you explore or just present the artist. I've been told that art should always have meaning, it should say something, it should tell something.. I've come to believe that whether it does or does not have meaning it's the spark of emotion that the viewer receives from the piece. What sparks emotion in one person might not spark in another. It kinda makes all works of art relevant. It's whatever floats your boat right? It doesn't speak to you on to the next one. Then why is it that when a piece is so controversial that someone will protest that they shouldn't be shown in a museum, in a gallery, entered in a contest, exhibited in a government building or funded by the government. How can some art be allowed and some denied. Aren't we all given freedom of speech. When picking this topic about controversial art. I wanted to be specific and show controversy in pieces that dealt with religious themes. As Always please feel free to leave comments.

Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

Andres Serrano

It's been 20 years since Piss Christ has been reveled and won in the Southeastern center for Contemporary Arts. And it still causes fury in government Bible thumping officials and non bible thumping atheist who argue that his piece winning(which partial of the reward was funded by National Endowments of the Arts) was a violation of Church and State. The Image is a plastic crucifix submerged in the artist's urine.



milk,blood I just think that Andres Serrano is one of our most thought provoking photographers we have out there. It's sad that he is labeled a controversial photographer. His has a way of juxtaposing of symbolism in his photographer that get people talking. Before setting judgment take time to understand what the artist interpretation. You are free to have your own, but to only have your own keeps your view narrow minded. If Sister Wendy Beckett a self taught art critic can keep an open mind about Serrano's piece Pissed Christ, why can't some just seek out what the actually artist intentions are. Sister Beckett said the work was not blasphemous but a statement on" What we have done to Christ" - that is, the way contemporary society has come to regard Christ and the values he represents.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ)





Andres Serrano is still pushing the envelope with his new exhibition about Shit. It's not my kind of bag, baby. I'm sure we could use some discussion about it since it is something we all do. but.. I don't know. His exhibition doesn't open till Sept 4th and Serrano is keeping a very tight lid on it. here is his Site:
Andres Serrano

And for more on
Sister Wendy Beckett

Andres Garcia Ibanez

Andres Garcia Ibanez had an exhibit titled Los Putrefactos a shocking images of nationalistic Catholic Spain and traditional and Agrarian Andalucian society. In this exhibition, Ibáñez gives an ironic depiction of Spanish Holy Week while questioning the general human tendency for hypocrisy within a religious context. The piece El Cristo de la Muerte (The Christ of Death) questions the participation of the military in Holy Week processions. This painting makes a stand against the alliance between the cross and the sword, a theme that is prevalent throughout the history of Spain.(http://www.halcyongallery.com/artists.php?id=17&cat=1). There is so much that makes this artist wonderful besides being a painter, he is an architect. But today I will only talk about him as a painter. He has very provocative pieces in his collection of works based on paintings of female saints and figures from literature and art by the 17Th century artist Zurbarán. I don't think it takes much to be a controversial artist. You can paint the Virgin Mary and throw feces at it and boom there's your controversy. Ibanez has this amazing talent using traditional painting asthetics and to add his own contemporary provocativeness or to depict religion to be grotesque, stirs so much emotion and creates views not seen. He's not making pot shots, these are really thought about, discovered and philosophized ideas about his culture and religion. He truly is a Post Modern Renaissance Man. To learn more about Ibanez:
Andres Garcia Ibanez