tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29680163.post8427238795479681965..comments2024-02-28T12:04:11.837-08:00Comments on Jesus in Love Blog: Smithsonian censors gay artist when conservatives attackKittredge Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02617858676733169316noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29680163.post-81018945404804276492011-02-09T11:01:47.178-08:002011-02-09T11:01:47.178-08:00I do believe that gay male art tends to focus more...I do believe that gay male art tends to focus more on overt sexuality, while lesbian arts put more emphasis on relationships. I'd even venture to say that this difference extends beyond the LGBT community and it may reflect a general difference between male and female perspectives.<br /><br />Jendi, it's exciting to hear from someone who actually went to the exhibit in person. I am a longtime fan of Romaine Brooks. I discovered her art when I was an undergrad at the University of Iowa and a big exhibit of her work came to the University of Iowa Art Museum. A good book about her milieu is “ Women of the Left Bank "by Shari Benstock.Kittredge Cherryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02617858676733169316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29680163.post-65971989723329532452011-02-08T12:21:27.281-08:002011-02-08T12:21:27.281-08:00Thanks for the blog love, Kitt. We got to see the ...Thanks for the blog love, Kitt. We got to see the exhibit last week and it really is worth a visit, a groundbreaking show despite the censorship. The Romaine Brooks paintings were my favorite new discovery.<br /><br />I found it interesting that the works representing the gay male experience were often overtly sexual while the lesbian works were not. Is this a typical divergence among GLBT artists, or were the male curators just less interested in women's sexuality?Jendihttp://www.jendireiter.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29680163.post-16337476934232032012010-12-09T10:28:52.731-08:002010-12-09T10:28:52.731-08:00Yes, I read that almost all the protestors support...Yes, I read that almost all the protestors supporting the video cringed when they watched it before marching to the National Portrait Gallery.<br /><br />Jendi, who just commented here, wrote a wonderful post putting it in the larger social context: <a href="http://jendireiter.com/2010/12/08/wh.aspx" rel="nofollow"> Why Christians Can't Recognize Christian Art </a>. She points out there that: <br /><br />“Even the more sophisticated venues showcasing self-described ‘Christian art’ would shy away from Wojnarowicz's video because…there's no place in their catalog for art that depicts Christianity as the problem, not the solution. However, that's the kind of art that we as Christians particularly need to see. It can show us where we have wronged someone in the name of our faith, causing them to think of horror and decay, not love and grace, when they see the symbols that we wave around so proudly.”Kittredge Cherryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02617858676733169316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29680163.post-74736196128181789372010-12-09T09:00:28.966-08:002010-12-09T09:00:28.966-08:00Well, I viewed the YouTube version...Frankly, I th...Well, I viewed the YouTube version...Frankly, I think it was "icky" rather than artistic. But it certainly wasn't either irreverent or really very pornographic (can I say I've seen much more explicit stuff?) The bottom line, as far as I'm concerned, is, if you don't like it, walk away. No point in making a big fuss about something that somebody else might find meaningful...No accounting for tastes, after all!Trudiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17866513608442388870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29680163.post-90235658554097551432010-12-08T13:17:08.201-08:002010-12-08T13:17:08.201-08:00Very well put! I thought the video was an incredib...Very well put! I thought the video was an incredible short horror film as well as prophetic critique from within the Christian tradition. Medieval artists weren't afraid of the grotesque, which is why they produced great work while today's official Christian art is mostly kitsch.Jendi Reiterhttp://jendireiter.com/2010/12/08/wh.aspxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29680163.post-77757568282439089692010-12-08T10:04:30.441-08:002010-12-08T10:04:30.441-08:00Like it or not, landmark battles for free speech a...Like it or not, landmark battles for free speech are often fought over expressions of questionable quality -- Hustler Magazine, flag burning, etc. When we protect the extremes, we ensure freedom for all. <br /><br />Turtle Woman, I’m also a big fan of Romaine Brooks! I love her “Self Portrait” in the Smithsonian show.Kittredge Cherryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02617858676733169316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29680163.post-34106389100077420592010-12-07T21:29:28.026-08:002010-12-07T21:29:28.026-08:00I think what depresses me is the really bad qualit...I think what depresses me is the really bad quality of the art itself. We go from the exhaulted Eakins and Sargent to the visionary Brooks, and end up with a trashy video from the 80s. I think the curator should have excluded the anty christ because it wasn't very good art, before it even got to the Smithsonian. <br />Eakins, Sargent and Romaine Brooks are true gay and lesbian heroes!Turtle Womannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29680163.post-53358481983896590412010-12-07T16:48:45.336-08:002010-12-07T16:48:45.336-08:00Special thanks to Jendi, Stephen and Doug for prov...Special thanks to Jendi, Stephen and Doug for providing news tips and links about the Wojnarowicz/Smithsonian controversy.Kittredge Cherryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02617858676733169316noreply@blogger.com