The authorities inadvertently transformed a perp walk photo of the accused killer of a healthcare CEO into a Renaissance painting of the arrest of Christ.
Christian art
Posted inOpinion
Nativity Scenes Have Never Been Neutral
To criticize the Vatican’s nativity with a now-removed Jesus in a keffiyeh would be to dismiss the artistic history of crèches centering marginalized people.
Posted inOpinion
Christian Art Wasn’t Always So Straight
Contrary to what tradwives might have you think, the church was once a safe haven from anti-queerness.
Posted inOpinion
The Olympics Drag Scene Got Christian Art History Right
Critics of the opening ceremony betrayed their ignorance of Christianity’s pagan roots — and the real reason behind their ire toward the show.
Posted inArt
The Unending Evolution of Nativity Scenes
From 3rd-century depictions to a Star Trek nativity, the art form never ceases to evolve.
Posted inOpinion
Sculpture of Homeless Jesus Sparks Controversy
When it comes to religious art, depictions of Jesus tend to feature him as saintly, reverential, floating above mere mortals or healing them with his touch (or he’s a baby). But a sculpture by artist Timothy P. Schmalz shows Jesus as a homeless man wrapped in a blanket, asleep on a bench.
Posted inOpinion
“Hug Me Jesus” Resurrected, But What Does it Mean?
In Monroe, Ohio at Solid Rock Church there was a giant statue of Jesus with arms wide open toward Interstate-75. That was until 2010, in what some could consider divine comedy, the statue was struck by lighting and promptly burst into flames, leaving nothing but it’s skeletal remains behind. Although safely situated in New York, and San Francisco now, I can look back and laugh at the absurdity of these giant sculptures, there is a real seriousness around them. As the election debates increasingly circle around issues of religious dogma, mostly surrounding women’s and queer rights, these statues are not to be ignored or laughed off.
Posted inArt
The Power of Luxury at the Metropolitan Museum
The Met’s Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition is a treat for viewers who appreciate the ways that power and continuity are expressed in both luxury items and everyday objects.