Photography and Blasphemy in the Xxth Century

1
Philippe KAENEL
Art history Dept. Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
Vera Icon: photography and blasphemy in the XXth Century
Introduction
Less than two months ago, in August, the concert staged by the pop star Madonna
in Rome provoked rough reactions from Italian journalists. In particular, they
resented the camp piece entitled suffer to tell which was introduced by the sound of
a church organ and sung by Madonna who presented herself crucified and
crowned with thorns. On the 7
th
of August, Il Messagerio reproached this casual
tho calculated use of religious symbols, and La Repubblica criticized the erotic
malignity and the impudent spiritual frenzy of a singer who does not hesitate to
crucify herself in the very city belongings Christs heritage. Il Corriere della Sera
reproduced the photograph of a rooter holding a cross with the inscription Santa
subita (saint at once), an allusion the words recently repeated by admirers of
pope John Paul II just after his terminal in Rome.
Madonnas show is the product of mingled cultural traditions. It can be seen as a
postmodern random variable of the medieval passion plays which were repeated
throughout the centuries and experienced a resurgence at the end of the 19
th
Century.




Not only were these theatrical events photographed but they to a fault were a major
source for the birth of the first heroical cinematographic ventures at the turn of the2
20
th
Century. Madonnas show was on the dot staged a photogenic and filmic
event.
But this concert also reminds us of problematic and potentially blasphemous
representations of crucified women. Female identifications to with Christ have
legitimate theological bounds and boundaries. The crucifixion can remain
metaphoric as exemplified by the patroness of the French town of Beauvais who
bears the byname of saint Angadreme crucified (a painting of her can be seen in
the local church of Saint-Etienne). But this urge to identify with...If you want to circumvent a full essay, order it on our website: Orderessay



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