Religion

Religion has been a big part of art for years. Almost all art which was created centuries ago would have been religious in one way or another. Some religious art is the typical Jesus on the cross paintings and some is more unusual and abstract. The piece below is one of the more common types of religious artwork as it has Jesus (how many people think he looks) on the cross. It is a piece by George Rouault and is the normal European way of seeing Jesus Christ.

Black Madonna

The Black Madonna is the name given to a staue or painting of Mary and a baby who is to represent Jesus. The figures are different to how we are all taught Jesus looks as they are black unlike a lot of religious work which presents him as a white figure. The Black Madonna art pieces are often found in Catholic countries and sometime Orthodox countries. The figure is usually a type of painting or statue of medieval origin which is black and not white.

In response to the Black Madonna pieces, Madonna the musical artist released a song about the subject of the Black Madonna and what it stands for within the christian religion. In the video theres a lot of controversial scenes where a black man who is thought to be Jesus is in a cage in a church. This makes the religion sound bad and like a thing people can't get out of. Madonna in the video is a saviour who manages to save the caged man from the religion and being stuck therefore it is challenging the Black Madonna.

Not all religions use characters and figures within their art. This can be due to not having figures or not knowing the physical looks of this character. Below is a picture of a Mosque in Islam which has a ceiling covered in art. The art in Mosques tends to be geometrical shapes created by grids and lines making colourful patterns.

Religion within Photography

As well as physical art, religion is also a big part of a large percentage of digital art including photography and film. The first photo I want to look at is this piece by Andres Serrano. The piece definitely challenges the idea of Jesus on the cross as its contents are very different and particular. The photograph is of a small crucifix completely covered and surrounded in a yellow liquid. This liquid is the artists urine which is why its so controversial. It was a piece which was a part of a series of similar photographs which all included classic statuettes being submerged in liquids. The issues around this piece are about the morals and ethics around the piece. A lot of people took offence as it is not something christians want to be viewing.

The second piece I wanted to look into is the piece below by David Lachapelle. It is yet again another controversial piece as it shows the christian religion in a completely different manor. It shows the stereotyped Jesus figure at the last supper amongst a large group of street punks and chavs. It was another controversial piece as some religious followers didn't like how the famous photographer was 'taking the mick' out of there beliefs. I personally don't like the piece that much as I feel it would cause more problem in society than anything else.