Catholic group protests New York student paintings (Graphic Content Alert!)

AP ^ | June 6, 2008 | VERENA DOBNIK

[NYer]

NEW YORK (AP) — A Roman Catholic watchdog group is protesting a student art exhibition in which religious symbols including a crucifix and rosary are depicted in sexually explicit paintings.

"I have the sneaking suspicion that these paintings made the cut precisely because they were an assault on Catholic sensibilities," Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights, said in a statement Thursday.

The works on display at the private Cooper Union school include paintings, sculpture, graphic design and video installations chosen by the faculty. The exhibit began May 27 and ends June 10.

The target of the protest is a series of paintings by Felipe Baeza. One of them depicts a man with his pants down and a crucifix in his rectum. A Latin caption says, "The day I became a Catholic." Another painting shows rosaries with male genitalia, and a third a man with a halo and erection.

Donahue said the public "should expect more from the art faculty at a distinguished institution of higher education."

In a statement, Cooper Union responded that the art show ending the academic year is curated by faculty of the schools of architecture, engineering and art.

"Hundreds of student works are shown annually without censorship — a tradition at the school since its founding by Peter Cooper 150 years ago," the school said.

The Catholic League, a New York-based group, has a record of protesting art it deems offensive.

In 1999, then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani threatened to cut off city funding for the Brooklyn Museum if it did not remove a canvas depicting a black Madonna decorated with elephant dung and female genitalia. The Catholic mayor called it "insulting to Catholics," and the league urged a boycott of the museum.

The League also got involved in the outcry over a 1987 photograph by Andres Serrano of a crucifix submerged in urine. Last year, it helped secure the cancellation of a planned Holy Week exhibition featuring a nude, anatomically correct chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ.

The Catholic League, founded in 1973, says it is the nation's largest Roman Catholic civil rights organization.

[NYer]

Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[Always Right]

If it ain’t sexually perverted, it ain’t art, or so it seems.

[martin_fierro]

These stunts are the last refuge of the talentless.

[NYer]

This display of “art” is truly over the top. Crucifying the Son of God was not enough; they must continue to persecute Him in this depraved manner.

[New Girl]

These kinds of assaults on my church only strengthen my faith.

[Abathar]

Where else can they go to insult so many and also be defended by so many? The greater the insult the louder the cry to defend it and the more publicity it gets.

They aren’t artists who do this, they are left wing extremists who pretend to be artists so they can get their social views expressed and displayed without fear of reprisals and defended by powerful and wealthy groups.

[Oratam]

I remember reading that Peter Cooper was a vehement anti-Catholic. If that is so, then this art exhibit is entirely in keeping with his legacy.

[free_for_now]

These displays attacking Christianity and Catholicism are no longer thought-provoking or shocking, therefore their “message” is trite. Neither are they daring, in that the artist is not risking being tarred and feathered or the like. In these days, when the Catholic Church has and exercises less and less power to produce a work like this is not a defiance of a monolithic authority. I suggest if they really want to provoke thought and controversy, an image of Mohammad engaging in some perverted act, or in some aspect of degradation would be more suitable and require far more courage.

[sportutegrl]

Mapplethorpe receives NEA money to create a photo of himself with a bullwhip up his butt and call it art.

Serrano gets another NEA grant to create a photo of a crucifix in a bucket of his own urine.

So, naturally these unimaginative idiots (can't call them artists) come up with a crucifix in a butt. How original.

[trisham]

Thank God for Bill Donahue.

[MEGoody]

These stunts are the last refuge of the talentless.

Bingo.

[Bitsy]

This display of “art” is truly over the top. Crucifying the Son of God was not enough; they must continue to persecute Him in this depraved mannerThey know that they can get away with it. Notice there is no Muhammad in urine. That's because these talentless twits don't have the courage to insult muslims just Christians and our God. The little blasphemer is going to have a grand old time in the next life /s

[Las Vegas Ron]

Let’s put mo ham head in some urine and see what happens

[Antoninus]

"Hundreds of student works are shown annually without censorship — a tradition at the school since its founding by Peter Cooper 150 years ago," the school said.

And yet, if some "artist" submitted an image of of a pig defecating on the Koran, these idiots couldn't censor it fast enough.

They are liars and hypocrites.

[joma89]

Just remember folks, this is not a “hate” crime, but putting a Koran in the toilet is. (sarcasm alert)

JoMa

[NYer]

Just remember folks, this is not a “hate” crime, but putting a Koran in the toilet is. (sarcasm alert)

You are absolutely righ! And any depictions of Mohammed would also have been banned from this duplicitous "art" work display.

[vpintheak]

Time for Catholics to take to the streets and start threatening to behead, kill, destroy anyone who insults Catholicism. Right?