For one thing, the oldest images of Jesus' Apostles have apparently been found in Rome during an excavation in Santa Tecla's catacomb [don't you want to know who St Tecla was? I sure do!]
Originally published in 1983, Leo Steinberg's classic work has changed the viewing habits of a generation. After centuries of repression and censorship, the sexual component in thousands of revered icons of Christ is restored to visibility. Steinberg's evidence resides in the imagery of the overtly sexed Christ, in Infancy and again after death. Steinberg argues that the artists regarded the deliberate exposure of Christ's genitalia as an affirmation of kinship with the human condition. Christ's lifelong virginity, understood as potency under check, and the
first offer of blood in the circumcision, both required acknowledgment of the genital organ. More than exercises in realism, these unabashed images underscore the crucial theological import of the Incarnation. This revised and greatly expanded edition not only adduces new visual evidence, but deepens the theological argument and engages the controversy aroused by the book's first publication.
But most of the time, nowadays, when we see a crucifix, Jesus is tastefully draped in a cloth, with his privates covered. We are comfortable with that. In the "controversial" icon above, he is covered, but it is the image of his abdomen that looks suspiciously like a penis that has people upset. I think, if you look at a lot of religious art, you see this type of depiction of Jesus' body a lot, and it's not a big deal. But, I may well be in the minority on this point. What do you think?
My cousin sent me an example of his work today - Beautiful!!"In the war [at the machine factory at Wülfen] I discovered my love for the wheel and recognized that machines are abstractions of the human spirit."[4]
"In the war, things were in terrible turmoil. What I had learned at the academy was of no use to me and the useful new ideas were still unready.... Everything had broken down and new things had to be made out of the fragments; and this is Merz. It was like a revolution within me, not as it was, but as it should have been."[5]
"Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul." ~The Koranme: I love you.
La S.: Why did you say that?
me: Well, we were quiet, and I wanted to tell you how I felt.
La S.: Well, I think you should say, "we're alive, we're happy, and we love each other."
It's almost Lent, and I just started to think about what my practice will be for Lent this year. As you know, Lent is my favorite time in the church calendar. I like the reflective nature of it, and the drama of Palm Sunday just can't be beat - so moving. Anyway, the customs around Lent are described at wikipedia:There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations.[8]
Now, the opportunity: Draw on your innate creativity and make a collage that represents your soul over the past year.
No one else can tell your story like you can. Here are some guidelines to help you get started:
Can you muster the courage to share the life of your mind, soul, and emotions?
1. Make a list of your highlights, low points, and learning experiences of 2009.
2. Find some old magazines, bits of paper, small objects or photos and cut out the images/words that resonate with the experiences on your list.
3. Layer the images and words and attach them to a surface (using glue, wire, tape—whatever).
4. Upload your collage here and tell us how it felt to tell your story using art.
Hi All! It's been a while. I still have some more images/video to post from December. But my friend, Hiphopopotamus and Rhymenocerous just got back from another trip to India and posted this and I had to share!
Happy Yule, Everybody!! Well, starting today, the days will be getting longer, more sunshine. This really is a magical time of year. We in Philly just had our first (HUGE) snowfall of the year, and it's staying cold, so the snow is still here. Last night, Solstice, the crescent moon hung in the sky and was just beautiful.
We interrupt our travelogue to bring you more awesomeness in the religious art world, brought to light by Terry, whose blog I just adore [keep up the great work at Idle Speculations!].
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