Patum Peperium: The Tie That Binds

There seems to be an unspoken bond among the religious and artistic Left. Whenever they transcend the bounds of Christian orthodoxy or decency, they say they are challenging us and our preconceptions about things. This rhetorical device is applied to not only stop all criticism of them but also place the priest, bishop, filmmaker, or artist on a higher level than the rest of us poor unenlightened slobs. The following three stories are a perfect illustration of this. (Note to readers; For the sake of time I will be painting with a broadbrush as my children are in the livingroom awaiting me to play with them in the tent they built.)

The Cathedral of St John the Divine prides itself for being like a medieval European Cathedral in New York City. They also pride themselves as being "a leading voice in the exploration of sacred arts and liturgical expression" for children. If the Cathedral truly is as they say they are a place for children to learn, don't you find it odd that they recently held a show, "Season South Africa" that required they "put a cautionary sign near some of the work indicating it might not be suitable for young viewers without explanation"? The Cathedral advertised this show as "challenging the frontiers of artistic expression both visually and intellectually" and unfortunately one local art teacher fell for the spin and took 43 children to see it. The art teacher was particulary outraged about a painting by Diane Victor, The Eight Mary's in which the Blessed Virgin Mother is depicted in one scene holding a coat hanger in one hand and blood cascading out from between her legs, another one has her with a dog under her raised skirt, and another one is the artist's re-interpretation of the Pieta, except that Mother Mary and Jesus are nude and Jesus' boy parts are front and center on his mother's lap. The art teacher wrote his dismay to the Reverend Tom Miller, Canon for Liturgy and the Arts and received this kind note in return from the good reverend;

"I was glad to hear that you oppose censorship and I agree with you that there will always be a place for art that "forces you to think." Diane Victor's Eight Mary's is certainly a case in point. It is an autobiographical critique of the way in which feminine imagery has been manipulated to suppress and control women in many cultures.

...these works are rooted in the artists' truthful engagement in South Africa's struggle and in their experiences not only of hope, but of suffering from which hope is revealed as grace upon grace.

...It is just such challenges that can upon reflection, deepen our faith."

If you believe that baked twaddle Steve M. will be happy to arrange for the sale of the Brooklyn bridge to you this afternoon. Please make the check out to me. The art magazine, Art in America, provides more details of the Season South Africa show. The writer describes The Eight Mary's painting as "funky". The show also featured the art of a Jewish crossdresser (a man who dresses as a woman and not a man who wears a lot of crosses) who, for the opening of the show, wore a working chandelier fashioned around his waist, like a tutu, and high heels and was hoisted high up on ropes in the Nave while a recording of Jewish chanting played in the background. This is certainly not intellectually challenging or artistically challenging art as a man in a tutu and heels is about as old as Milton Berle. He's been pushing up daisies for years now.

The second story involves that best-selling piece of fiction that lacks character development, has an all too predictable plotline, and is both theologically and historically unsound, The Da Vinci Code. The Da Vinci Code movie is in production in England right now. Now, to be truthful, it is the Telegraph that states that "the story challenges orthodox Christian thought". But I'm confident it would not take long to find an Anglican cleric who agreed with the Telegraph's accessment. The Da Vinci Code was to be filmed in Westminster Abbey however the clerics there had problem with Dan Brown's version of Jesus' life contained in the predictable plotline and said "No." The Dean of the Lincoln Cathedral, the Very Rev. Alec Knight, too had issues with the Da Vinci Code and declared "It's a load of old tosh". But he, unlike his colleagues at Westminster, was completely happy to take the 100,000 pounds director Ron Howard paid for the use of the Cathedral, because it's a "huge opportunity in secular terms" as this was "giving them the opportunity to preach the gospel". Another clear cut case of the end justifying the means. The question that needs to be asked of the Very Rev. Knight is, which gospel is Ron Howard planning on preaching in the Da Vinci Code film? The gospel of Dan Brown or the real gospels of the Bible?

The third story involves the late sister to the Head of the Church of England, Princess Margaret. A new television drama on her life is about to air. Viewers will learn new shocking new details about Princess Margaret's life. Details like she how once banged her head on the wall during marital relations with Lord Snowdon. That's shocking? It would only be considered shocking if we learned Margaret was wearing her enormously heavy crown during marital relations and when she banged her head it fell down breaking the bridge of her nose and taking out four of her front teeth before falling to the floor and rolling under the bed. And the shock factor would be if we also learned Lord Snowdon wiggled under the bed to rescue the family jewels before attending to his seriously injured wife. The actress who portrayed the late princess had this to say about her role;

"I played her as a woman with tremendous energy and an insatiability for all things. I hope we don't offend anybody, as I really like the Queen."

Kevin Lygo, Channel 4's director of television had this to say;

"Some people will find it quite arresting and challenging. I don't know if her Majesty will watch, but we could send her a DVD."

So the moral of the story is; do what you like in life and when people complain just say you're challenging them.

Mrs. P

(The links now work. Thanks to Steve M. for kindly alerting me to my incompetence.)

Comments

Do you ever say anything that isn't based on a criticism of the so-called left? And do you really think you are an ordinary person who represents "us." It seems to me you are belligerent crackpot, a smug idealist living in the good old imaginery days, a typical prickly Republican--but I know that is just your writing being ineffective, and that you really aren't and won't go up in smoke at the mere suggestion.

Posted by: Mortimer Shy | August 19, 2005 at 04:03 PM

Mrs. P,
At this point, I think Reverend Tom Miller should serve up a little intellectual honesty. I would not want Rev. Tom to feel anyone was calling for censorship, but simple truth is still, I think, a permissable ground for requests. If he would just arrange for a statue of an enthroned figure to be put at the high altar, no art teachers or other visitors would enter his "Cathedral" in a mistaken assumption about who is to be worshiped there. Based on the look of artist Diane Victor at her web site as linked above, I think she could be counted on to provide a respectful depiction of Old Scratch seated in regal fashion.

Posted by: Steve M. | August 19, 2005 at 04:31 PM