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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
 Posted - 06/03/2006 : 08:58:45
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Last summer I spoke on a panel discussion at the SSA conference about Joel Pelletier's awful painting American Fundamentalists: Christ's Entry into Washington in 2008. http://www.americanfundamentalists.com/
I subsequentially submitted an article about the painting to the Humanist News Network http://www.humaniststudies.org/enews/index.html?id=205&article=3
Despite much debate with others, including the artist, I continue to maintain my opinion that this painting has little artistic value and is purely a prop that provides the very angry Pelletier with a soapbox for his rantings. Pelletier said himself in a response to my letter: quote:
My painting is a prop, informed by my skepticism and humanism, designed specifically to be used as a catalyst for intellectual, political, religious and economic discussion. Instead of simply writing a book, essay or thesis, I put my argument into visual form, which gets it and me in front of people so that I can explain more.
http://humaniststudies.org/enews/index.php?id=206&article=5
Maybe that is a good purpose when it starts panel discussions, but Pelletier himself is a terrible speaker. He polarizes the American right/left as vigorously as the worst of pundits. And while he will deny up and down that he's suggesting a vast right wing conspiracy that unites fundamentalists, big business and neocons, his painting and much of what he says does indicate such a conspiracy.
So why am I draggin up this ancient history now? Because an artist with some actual talent did it better: Irving Petlin's The Entry of Christ into Washington . Here's a review of the show where the painting was just shown for the first time: http://brooklynrail.org/2006-05/artseen/irving-petlin
Petlin's Ambiguous Agiprop Pushes Dialogue, not Dogma http://www.observer.com/printpage.asp?iid=12857&ic=Currently+Hanging
Amen!
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"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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Edited by - marfknox on 06/03/2006 08:59:08
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