Feelings, ideas, moods, and experiences—as well as beliefs, senses of humor, tolerance levels, backgrounds, education, and philosophies—vary among human beings. People like what they like, and shun what they shun, for many reasons. What we’re taught, and what we embrace as facts, truth, and “right”, color how we see the world around us.
No one has a right to dictate what’s good, great, or excellent, but providing intelligent reasons why one considers a thing so, might sway, educate, or provoke others to think first, and complain or reject, later.
What excites one, offends another.
What one thinks is interesting and informative, makes absolutely no sense to another.
What one sees as impressive, disgusts another.
What one sees as farce, fictional, irony, or parody, is reality to another.
What one sees as no big deal, or laughable, is a cause for a riot or boycott to another.
What one sees as beautiful, scares the daylights out of another.
Everybody wasn’t raised in the same environment or culture. What one thinks is right, critical, safe, and fair, another sees as evil, unnecessary, dangerous, and exclusionary—and those opinions may have been seeded by parents, teachers, clergy, politicians, authors, philosophers, or even friends. Our experiences impact our responses to what we hear and see.
Sometimes, viewers will get the artist’s intent, immediately. Sometimes, they’ll see something even the artist, him or herself, didn’t see or consider. Sometimes, a back story, a History lesson, a first person narrative, or explanation, is necessary to quell confusion, anger, or misunderstanding. Sometimes, it’s okay to just not get it.
Viewers of Art bring their whole selves to the table—their perceptions, fears, biases, and even ignorance. Viewers are free to decide what they like, love, or appreciate. What viewers shouldn’t do, is try to impose their preferences onto others, or attempt to censor or destroy what doesn’t appeal to them. Sometimes, how viewers respond to what they see, exposes their own prejudices. What it does— to the dismay of the offended— is draw more attention to, amplifies, and even offers free advertisement for the very things they’re so vehemently against. There are things that no one would have known about, unless an offended person hadn’t brought it to everyone’s attention. A thing that would have faded into old news, now has wings, and is being discussed globally. The burning question? What’s wrong with it?
Now, a conversation is being had that’s less about the parody, and more about the weakness and superficiality of a religion that can’t handle the perceived misuse of one of the objects of its misplaced faith. Is God truly offended, or is he somewhere shaking his omnipotent head?
What makes a thing controversial, or annoying to the senses of imperfect people? Could it be that many are so accustomed to seeing their self-righteous selves in a favorable light, that the concepts of allowing other viewpoints, making room for the ideas of others, scrolling past what doesn’t interest them, changing channels, looking away, or not responding at all, are too much to bear?
How offended should anyone be by Art? Are people ever really being forced to see anything? How closely or strongly should one tie one’s identity, faith, or beliefs to Art? We have to be careful what we deify or consider sacred. It may have its origins in worldly traditions, secular icons, or pagan imagery. People should be careful trotting out the Bible to declare something unacceptable. It proves they haven’t read its more lewd and lascivious horror chapters. Based on the criteria that proponents of book banning and book burning have put forth, the Bible would be at the top of the bonfire for some of its not-so-PG-rated content.
Leonardo daVinci’s “Last Supper” is, without doubt, a masterpiece, but does it depict reality, or what many have accepted as reality? Is it holy? Should it be worshipped? The painting is merely one person’s interpretation of a Biblical story, that employs the artist’s limited, personal experiences, and familiar community. It also holds intriguing secrets, symbolism and raises questions. Have you ever wondered who’s the blond lady next to Jesus? I mean, she sure does look like a lady… but I digress.
Even the Bible, Geography, Genealogy, and common sense suggest that Jesus was not a blue-eyed, melanocyte-deficient, auburn-haired Italian, nor were his main 12 disciples, but I can still appreciate the skill, technique, innovation, and beauty of Leonardo’s artwork. I do not consider it an insult to, nor a mockery of ancient or modern people of color. It can’t be mocked because it doesn’t have feelings. Jesus isn’t mocked because, it’s not really him. Again, it’s a painting. Christianity isn’t mocked because it is the belief in, and acceptance of God’s plan for the redemption of mankind, that makes one a Christian— not how dearly one holds a work of Art.
Perhaps how we treat our fellow, actual, living, breathing humans, would be a better indicator of our hardly fragile faith. There are more serious, heinous atrocities, and crimes against humanity going on, that deserve outrage and swift action, but the same people who are seething over an artistic presentation, seem to think those actions, and the gruesome, heartbreaking, horrific images they generate every day, are just fine. It’s fascinating what we prioritize.
As viewers of Art, it might be good to remind ourselves, as often as needed, that everything is not FOR everyone, and one piece of Art, like that of Jan Harmensz van Biljert, can be mistaken for another.
It seems that some people, only want to see themselves, and they want everyone else to be limited to that subject as well. Anything contrary to them, or their view of the world, is bad, wrong, evil, unacceptable, ugly, trash, perverted, unworthy, tasteless, or lacking civility or creativity.
Perhaps certain, sensitive viewers are not the target audience for a thing— but there IS an audience, that will rally behind what IT favors, or finds interesting. There’s always an audience that WILL endeavor to, at least, understand what it is offered for consumption, and not be so quick to cry foul. Too often, that audience isn’t as loud and frantic as others.
Whomever a thing is for, will be pleased, and they have a right to be…and a right to be represented, just like everyone else. That’s kind of how democracies—and Art—work.
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