Grenouilles de bénitier-s'abstenir!
This is a tricky issue: should artists be allowed to express themselves in total freedom, or should they take the public in consideration and not produce pieces that might shock them?
Asked like that, it is normal that we all answer: no! Art must be shocking, otherwise it is boring!
But what if the art works “wound the religious sentiments” of the public? It happened in Bolzano lately, when Pope Benedict condemned Kippenberger’s crucified green frog, a ugly sculpture named “Zuerst die Füsse” (feet first). In his mind apparently the crucified frog was his self-portrait, meant to illustrate human existential anxiety. But the president of the regional government did not see any excuse to the blasphemous frog and qualified it as a “disgusting piece of trash that upsets many people”.
However, Claudio Strinati, a superintendent for Rome's state museums, replied:"Art must always be free and the artist should not have any restrictions on freedom of expression".
I say, it is good for artists who want to shock people that there are still people who can be shocked in our old blasé western world that “has already read all the books”... People develop a resistance to it, which is why artists will have to go further and further into the trash in order to attract attention.
Asked like that, it is normal that we all answer: no! Art must be shocking, otherwise it is boring!
But what if the art works “wound the religious sentiments” of the public? It happened in Bolzano lately, when Pope Benedict condemned Kippenberger’s crucified green frog, a ugly sculpture named “Zuerst die Füsse” (feet first). In his mind apparently the crucified frog was his self-portrait, meant to illustrate human existential anxiety. But the president of the regional government did not see any excuse to the blasphemous frog and qualified it as a “disgusting piece of trash that upsets many people”.
However, Claudio Strinati, a superintendent for Rome's state museums, replied:"Art must always be free and the artist should not have any restrictions on freedom of expression".
I say, it is good for artists who want to shock people that there are still people who can be shocked in our old blasé western world that “has already read all the books”... People develop a resistance to it, which is why artists will have to go further and further into the trash in order to attract attention.
I don't even want to imagine what would have been the islamic reaction to the piece, if the artist had chosen Mahommet to epitomize the frog-like human angst...
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