When does a society need to be protected from pieces of art? Why does the Vatican take such offense over a piece of imagination, that someone brought into being? Especially really cartoon-ish absurd-ist stuff like this piece? How is anyone so offended by simple images? I have deleted the picture of this sculpture from the article below, because I have been informed that it is too offensive, even though I thought it was hysterically funny. I don't wish to offend any delicate eyes, so I'll link to the full story with the offensive pic, and print the story below. Don't open the link if you are easily offended by cartoon-ish images. http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_26258.aspx Italy Museum Defies Pope Anger Over Sculpture Of Crucified Frog Thursday August 28, 2008 The Associated Press An art museum in northern Italy said Thursday it will continue displaying a sculpture portraying a green frog nailed to a cross that has angered Pope Benedict and local officials. The board of the foundation of the Museion in the city of Bolzano voted to keep the work by the late German artist Martin Kippenberger, the museum said in a statement. Earlier in August the pope had written a letter to Franz Pahl, the president of the Trentino-Alto Adige region that includes Bolzano, denouncing the sculpture. It "has offended the religious feelings of many people who consider the cross a symbol of God's love and of our redemption," Pahl quoted the Pope as writing in the letter. Pahl himself has long opposed the display of "Zuerst die Fuesse" ("First the Feet" in German), even staging a hunger strike this summer and saying he would not seek re-election unless it was removed. In a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Pahl said he was outraged by the museum's decision to keep the work, which he claims "pokes fun at the Catholic population and offends religion and the Pope." The 1990 wooden sculpture shows the crucified frog nailed through the feet and hands like Jesus Christ. The frog, eyes popping and tongue sticking out, wears a loincloth and holds a mug of beer and an egg in its hands. The museum said the one-metre-tall sculpture has nothing to do with religion, but is an ironic self-portrait of the artist and an expression of his angst. "With humour and a tragicomic sense, which belongs to art since the times of Greek tragedy, Kippenberger ... faces his condition of suffering, which he expresses in many works, also, for example, in a video in which he crucifies himself," the museum said in a statement. Born in Dortmund, Kippenberger moved from painting and sculpture to work in all mediums, often combining elements of Neo-expressionism, Pop and Dadaism. His art has been displayed across the world, including Zurich, Paris, Jerusalem, London and New York. He died in 1997, aged 43. ____________________________________________________________ I'm Sorry but, Jesus wasn't the only one who died on a cross, Drumbonius, or whatever your fake pope name is. Wasn't the Cross an implement of torture and execution, employed for hundreds of years, and used upon thousands and thousands, maybe millions of people all over Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Asia Minor, and later on, burned as a warning to the black people of the southern USA, reminding them not to get too pushy looking for equal rights?????? But I guess none of that matters, if someone powerful is offended by it they should begin crying foul at once, there is no place for tolerance in The Vatican. Any fool knows god has no sense of humor at all right?
I don't see how it should offend anyone here. . . Maybe it was because someone from the pope's office is hanging out on GC? Did someone from the pope's people complain about HapiClam's sig? Sheesh, grow up. Even the museum saw fit to keep the art piece up. Is GC capitulating to the pope? Hope not.
Pope Benedict's, been a dict to everyone...yeah! The pope's just a dict? Benedict to everyone?...yeah! The pope has a vested interest in keeping frogs from being displayed in the "Dissection Pose". It may cause someone to start seeing the realities of evolution, and he would have to explain the loss in funding to the board of Cardinals. To say nothing of the church CEO.
Man, is the Church egotistical. Like Jesus was the only poor bastard who ever got nailed to a cross. Anyways, I think if you start physically hurting people or animals is where you should draw the line with art. Like that one dude who starved a dog to death and called it art? That's just twisted. The rest is fair game.
Ok lets get a statue of Mohamed and smear it with dog shit. Or maybe a Koran in a jar of piss. It seems no one has a problem using Christianity as "art".
Did you see anything anti-christian in this piece of art? if so. where? Where do frogs come into the Bible? Oh, that's right, they were a plague set by god upon the Egyptians, but that's Jewish history, not christian... And how many deaths upon crosses must be discounted for the Pope to claim copyright infringement upon this symbiology, with but a single victim? Why is the Pope scared of Art? Why is anyone scared of anything that cannot harm them? Ignorance and domination are a bad combination for someone who is supposed to represent "God in the Flesh". Well, I suppose in a perfect world, everyone would simply ignore him, and his critical thinking lapses.
[quote name='TheHapiClam']Did you see anything anti-christian in this piece of art? if so. where? Where do frogs come into the Bible? Oh, that's right, they were a plague set by god upon the Egyptians, but that's Jewish history, not christian... And how many deaths upon crosses must be discounted for the Pope to claim copyright infringement upon this symbiology, with but a single victim? Why is the Pope scared of Art? Why is anyone scared of anything that cannot harm them? Ignorance and domination are a bad combination for someone who is supposed to represent "God in the Flesh". Well, I suppose in a perfect world, everyone would simply ignore him, and his critical thinking lapses.[/quote LOL, Get over it, besides whiner threads, posted by people such as yourself who didnt read the rules regarding size limitations of their sigs, belong in the GENERAL FEED BACk FORUM.
Get over what? I'm not the artist, he's been dead for 11 years. Sorry if you think this is 'whiney' but its about censorship, which is still a valid point for discussion in any forum. This censorship has been performed by the Vatican. Therefore, it should be an S+P topic, since church censorship of art has been going on since the church was formed. You didn't answer my question about how frogs are now, or ever could be an affront to the church? Is there an answer, because I can't find it. The letter t is the same geometric shape, if I put a frog on a letter t, will that offend the pope?
If you have a message to convey, I don't have a problem with it. I wouldn't personally want to do that, seeing the Muslim reaction to those Danish cartoons, and I don't really have anything to say about Islam. Can you tell me what's uniquely Christian about crucifixion? It was used all over the place. Alexander of Macedon crucified thousands of Tyresians for having the audacity to not die when he besieged them hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Tokugawa Shoguns used to crucify people. Romans did it to pirates, rebels, and slaves. One guy gets nailed to a cross and all of a sudden anything involving a cross has to also involve him?
What Stoned budda meant was- This article is not about my sig, silly rabbit. I can make sigs out of anything. It's about a toy frog on two sticks, that offended his holiness, to the point of condemnation. Stick with the topic.
I thought it got deleted because of its ridiculous size, the fucking thing was way too big. And i didn't know the pope was on here, i thought the mods deleted it. And no i meant if you want to complain about loosing your sig, for what ever reason then you should go complain in the general feed back forum.
Ummmmmm, still? 3 tries, and you still don't get it? Please re-read the article, and comment on it, my good man, or else at least get off the subject of my sig, the -rep you sent me with your 'offended' tirade, was word enough. This is not about you, per se, but about the Vatican, and ITS own little tirade.
At least the museum is still showing it. They could have taken it down as soon as the Vatican condemned it, but they decided not to give in to the ridiculous censorship. Who cares if it's offensive? From what I can tell, Catholics are not being forced to visit this museum. More great controversial art, if anyone is interested: "Piss Christ" by Andres Serrano "The Holy Virgin Mary" by Chris Ofili "Ecce Homo" by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin
What the fuck? That image is no where near what should be considered offensive. I've seen the Jesus piss one before, even I thought that was somewhat disrespectful but hey the artist has a right so let him. That gay YMCA picture is pretty funny though.
Thanks and +rep for the new sig pic Bubblefunker! Y-M-C-A!!! You know, it occurred to me that much more graphic and brutal portrayals of death can be found in most video games, than this poor froggie on a stick depicts. Why isn't that the subject of condemnation? This whole vatican censorship just sounds so dark ages to me, I'm trying to understand why, if they didn't want you to see the piece, that they would put this banner out front of the museum? Thu Aug 28, 2:13 PM ET Previous 1 of 6 Next In this photo taken June 2nd, 2008 protesters gather outside the 'Museion' museum in Bolzano , northern Italy near a banner saying 'while the frog on the cross is being shown do not enter the building', referring to a sculpture portraying a green frog nailed to a cross on show inside. Museum officials said Thursday Aug. 28, 2008 the sculpture that has angered Pope Benedict XVI and local officials will continue to be on display. The board of the foundation of the 'Museion', voted to keep the work by the late German artist Martin Kippenberger, the museum said in a statement. Earlier in August the pope had written a letter to Franz Pahl, the president of the Trentino-Alto Adige region that includes Bolzano, denouncing the sculpture. '(It) has offended the religious feelings of many people who consider the cross a symbol of God's love and of our redemption,' Pahl quoted the pope as writing in the letter. (AP Photo/Othmar Seehauser) _____________________________________________________________ They don't want you to go inside and see it, so they put a picture of it on a huge banner and hang it outside????????? Is the Pope a publicist also? It would seem so, because you can't buy this kind of press, and the pope gave it to them for free, just like Tipper Gore once gave Gangsta Rap a much needed shot in the arm with her famous " Parental Advisory " stickers. Does censorship like this tend to backfire often? It seems to me that it does, like with the burning of Beatles albums in the 60's, all those idiots who burned those albums have probably re-purchased them by now, at 5 times the cost of the one they burned. And why?
It "has offended the religious feelings of many people who consider the cross a symbol of God's love and of our redemption," Pahl quoted the Pope as writing in the letter. Funny to think though that millions have been killed over the cross. So much for love and redemption.